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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26258539">A Woman's Vision</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubblyShip/pseuds/BubblyShip'>BubblyShip</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fashion &amp; Models, Alternate Universe - Human, Body Swap, Confused Sans (Undertale), Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, Fashion Designers, Female Sans (Undertale), Gay Sans (Undertale), Gender Issues, Gender Problems, Hawaii, Human Sans (Undertale), M/M, Misscommunication, Models, New Friends, Original Character(s), Paris (City), Sans (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Self-Esteem Issues, Sexism, Sharing a Body, Traveling, change of environment, creepy grillby, fashion - Freeform, fashion models - Freeform, he becomes better, kinda like being trans, model sans, new support system, new supporting friends, papyrus thinks sans is dead, sans becomes a human, sans becomes a model, sans becomes a woman, sans becomes famous, sans is hot, sans moves to paris, sans swaps body, trapped in the wrong body</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:00:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>88,934</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26258539</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubblyShip/pseuds/BubblyShip</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knows the story. Asriel died upon the golden flowers long before Alphys took one for her experiments, and revived him in the form of Flowey due to the determination. This happened again with the monsters falling down, showing a pattern of the true strength of determination. Determination is the key for keeping monsters alive.</p><p>But what if the determination came from a human? And what if Sans became trapped in her body?</p><p>Sans is now a human girl, and he has a lot to learn about being a woman.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Sans (Undertale)/Original Character(s), Sans/Wilbert</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>148</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1 - A Scream</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing he had heard was the scream.</p>
<p>Now, Sans wasn't one to really care. Maybe the girl was watching an intense game, or maybe she was just having the best drunken night of her life. Who could judge a good one nighter?</p>
<p>But this scream wasn't that type of scream. No, it was loud and shrill, and <em>close</em>. Just around the corner of the dark and foreboding street, making the small skeleton jerk towards the sound with a startled expression. Was someone in trouble? Were they alright?</p>
<p>Now, the sensible thing would be to turn around and run (in his case, briskly walk, running was too much work) all the way home, then alert Undyne and Papyrus before pretending he never heard it. But Sans knew those types of screams, this wasn't one he could ignore. Especially from how close it was. It was a scream of utter terror, one that shook him down to his core when he heard it.</p>
<p>Sans wasn't an idiot. He called the police the moment he heard it, clinging to the phone as he stood alone in the damp, cold air. His hoodie sagged in the darkness, the wind drawing his clothes to flutter.</p>
<p>Darn it. Of course Sans overstayed his welcome at the bar, like always. The fire monster responded the way he usually did, shoving Sans outside and telling him to be careful. After all, the surface was different than the Underground. It was more dangerous, monsters had to be more careful.</p>
<p>"And all you heard was a scream? Is this a noise complaint?"</p>
<p>The police didn't sound very convinced. Probably because Sans didn't really have much to testify to. All he heard was a single scream, he hadn't even gone to check it out. For all he knew, it could have been a scream from a simple fall down a single stair, much like he did often. As much as Sans didn't want to investigate, he knew he would have to. He knew that scream, he knew what he was going to see wouldn't be fun. Thus, Sans rounded the corner, pink slippers skidding to a halt once the sight was revealed.</p>
<p>"I think I heard it from over h- Oh Toby Fox, that's a dead body."</p>
<p>The scene he had found was horrifying. Blood, blood everywhere. Scattered along the walls and seeping into the cracks on the sidewalk, blood continued to dribble from the limp body sprawled across the sidewalk. They were practically unrecognizable, with brown, stingy hair thrown across her face, blood caking the edges. Her hands were thrown to her side, stiff as her body. The dress shirt was torn with the stab wounds, red blood staining the once white fabric. The stench was fresh, almost putrid as the smell wafted towards him. Sans had to hold back a gag, drawing back from surprise and disgust.</p>
<p>"Sir? Please describe the situation, we've sent a car."</p>
<p>Sans sucked in a breath. "Yeah, okay, there's a dead body. Blood, there's a lot of blood, I think she's dead. I- Oh Toby Fox, this is a dead human body-"</p>
<p>Humans were weird in that way. Why did their bodies <em>stay</em>? When monsters died, their soul dusted from the lack of magic, leading for their magic driven bodies to dust away into nothing. But humans were weird, their bodies stayed, and kept staying longer after death. It was disgusting and messy.</p>
<p>The wind picked up again, distant sirens sounding. Oh, that was quick. Sans almost threw up from the sight alone, honestly he was glad that the police would arrive soon.</p>
<p>It happened so quickly.</p>
<p>One moment, Sans had been talking on the phone, holding back himself from throwing up his beloved dinner from Grillby's. The next, there was a hand on his shoulder, and a burning pain in his back as he fell forward. There was something in his back. There was a hand pushing him back against the object.</p>
<p>
  <em>It hurt it hurt it HURT-</em>
</p>
<p>The pain was sharp and sudden, just as was the darkness. One moment he had been slumping against the female body, and the next...</p>
<p>Black.</p>
<p>~~~~~~</p>
<p>Something was wrong.</p>
<p><em>Wrong</em>.</p>
<p>He could feel it. Sans couldn't describe how, but he felt wrong. His body felt different, heavier, squishy. He felt more cold and warm, his chest felt heavy. The worst feeling was the pain. The intense, burning pain on his front was unbearable. Everything hurt and felt so wrong.</p>
<p>Sans came and went with his consciousness. He could remember sirens, flashing lights, distant voices. There were hands gripping him, more pain, a stinging in his chest. Why did he feel so heavy? Why did it <em>hurt</em> so much?</p>
<p>His neck- no, it was something else, something in that area burned. Why did it burn this much? Why did it feel like it was stinging him from the inside of his bones?</p>
<p>There had been a lot of voices. He heard crying, there was definitely some crying. Papyrus. Why did Papyrus sound so far? He was outside, outside somewhere. They were talking about Sans. A survivor? A human girl survived, but he... No, no, Sans was right here! But he couldn't move, he felt <em>wrong</em>. Alive, but wrong. Different.</p>
<p>Finally, finally, Sans woke up for good.</p>
<p>He peeled back- wait, what were those black strand things? Why did his eye sockets feel so sticky? Why did he feel so...</p>
<p>No, this wasn't right. He had something in his skull, between his bones- He couldn't feel his bones. His chest continued to burn, he felt sick and like he was going to throw up. But he felt something there, in his cavity.</p>
<p>This wasn't him. This wasn't Sans.</p>
<p>Sans sat up, pushing himself forward through the thin blanket pressed over him. Something soft tumbled down to his shoulders on his head, something soft and white. It almost looked like...</p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>Sans almost screamed when he caught sight of his hands, body trembling. His body. This was his body. He wiggled his fingers, the pale flesh wiggling back in response.</p>
<p>These were fingers. <em>Human</em> fingers.</p>
<p>His whole body looked different. His one boney limbs were all thicker with fat and other human things, entire body trembling. He could see fingernails, and white wavy- Oh lord, that was hair. Human hair. From humans. On his head.</p>
<p>He wasn't a skeleton anymore.</p>
<p>This wasn't his body.</p>
<p>He was stationed in a hospital bed, some type of clear tube taped under his skin- oh, skin. Why did he have skin? Why was he in this body?</p>
<p>"Hey."</p>
<p>The voice sounded weird. Distant and shallow, somehow wavering as both a whisper and a firm voice. It was a girls voice.</p>
<p>He looked across the room to find the source of the voice. A girl, a short girl, with flowing brown hair and tanned skin, bright green eyes that rivaled the glow of echo flowers narrowed at him.</p>
<p>"You're in my body."</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2 - Doctor Arrives</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was no time to question the ghost.</p><p>At least, not at first.</p><p>The Doctor had arrived as soon as Sans was awake. Tall and lean, his voice was as sharp as a knife. He startled the once skeleton on the bed, clipboard captured in hand.</p><p>"Ms Amory, good morning," The Doctor hummed out, "I'm glad you're finally awake."</p><p>"I'm..." Sans' voice sounded different, too different. It was high pitched, feminine, yet still had his own calm and laid back tone. "I'm not..."</p><p>Oh, his neck hurt. His throat? Did he have a throat? Why did it sting so bad?</p><p>"Here I brought you some water."</p><p>Bless his soul.</p><p>Sans almost coughed on the cool liquid, eyes peeling back wide as he felt it travel down <em>into</em> his body. Oh, that was weird. And disgusting. Humans kept the water inside of them? Why?</p><p>But his throat- that was a throat, right? Either way, the water had helped. Somewhat. Swallowing it made him grunt with pain, hands moving to clutch at his gut.</p><p>Great, he had a gut now. Sans could feel the warmth of his own body radiating into his hands. A gut, flesh, organs. He had stuff in there? Seriously?</p><p>Why were humans so weird? Why did they need all of this?</p><p>"You gave us quite a scare, Ms Amory," The Doctor chuckled, "Do you remember what happened?"</p><p>"Not really," Sans muttered, female voice shaking.</p><p>The white haired Doctor smiled apologetic at him, wrinkles pulling at his skin. "I could understand. You took six stab wounds to the chest, it's a surprise you even managed to survive. You were missing a lot of blood. It's a miracle, honestly."</p><p>Sans' gaze drifted back over to the girl. Her own medium hair fell to her shoulders, rolling in an abundance of straight strands contrasting Sans' more curls and waves. Her stern green eyes glanced between him and the Doctor, lip biting as she stayed silent.</p><p>"Oh," Sans whispered.</p><p>This was her body? How did Sans end up in her body? Didn't he...</p><p>Oh, he died. He definitely remembered dust, he actually died.</p><p>So how was he here?</p><p>The Doctor continued explaining, and Sans tried his best to listen. Apparently he had managed to barely survive six stab wounds, and was in the hospital. His chest was all bandaged, and he was going to have to stay in the room for a few days while he recovered. The Doctor gave him medication, or claimed he gave Sans pain killers, but Sans definitely could <em>not</em> feel them. His chest burned and ached, each movement sending a spike of utter pain to make him hiss.</p><p>Everything hurt. Oh, did it hurt. His head was spinning, he was constantly on the verge of throwing up, and everything stung like no one's business. The girl remained silent, looking a bit caught off guard, unsure what to say. Sans wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or just lay down and die.</p><p>Well, die again. Did he actually die, or was it something else?</p><p>What's going <em>on</em>?</p><p>And, finally, the Doctor left.</p><p>"What are you doing?" The girl blurted just as he left the room.</p><p>"Me?" Sans asked, pointing to himself.</p><p>Well, duh.</p><p>The girl nodded, hair bouncing with her movements. "Yes! You, in my body you! Why are you in my body?"</p><p>"I'm not sure, ugh..." Sans groaned, clutching his- her- the body's stomach. "But I'm actually fleshy. Am I human? I'm a human, aren't I? Oh, there goes all of my skeleton puns- f*ck."</p><p>Sans pulled himself to the side and immediately decided to <em>not f*cking do that</em>, retreating back onto the bed as the pain worsened. Okay, not that. Never again.</p><p>"Are you the Amory person?" Sans muttered.</p><p>"Yeah." The girl chewed on her lip more. "It's my last name. I've been watching them this entire time, they think you're me. They found my wallet and drivers license and think it's you. I mean, it is my body, but I don't know how I got here! Did you do any weird magic-monstery-voodoo stuff?"</p><p>"What, no, I have no idea how I- What's even going <em>on</em>?" Sans groaned, "Okay, let's take a step back. I'm Sans. Who are you?"</p><p>"Mal, name's Mal," The girl said quickly, "Okay, uh, Sans. Can you get out of my body?"</p><p>"Get out? I don't even know how I got in!" Sans muttered, "How long have you been there?"</p><p>"A day, maybe," Mal sighed, "I just woke up, and I can't- I can't touch things. I tried talking to him, but it didn't work. And I looked down and saw myself, but I looked different! And that's you, you're me!"</p><p>"I don't know how this happened, I swear." He adjusted his seating. "I died, I think. Wait, you look familiar... you were that dead body, weren't you?"</p><p>"You mean on the street?" The girl asked, approaching Sans. "I was just walking from work and then there was this person, they had a knife and then... then I woke up here. I think I died too, or almost died. I-I don't-"</p><p>The woman started to panic, clutching at her sides. Her own breaths quickened, and Sans could sense she was about to lose it.</p><p>"Hey, calm down, we'll figure this out," Sans spoke softly.</p><p>"Don't tell me to calm down!" Mal said, "I just died! I'm a dumb ghost and some weird demon sh*t has my body!"</p><p>"I'm not a demon or anything, I'm just a monster." Sans stuck his hands up in defense. "Calm down, screaming and arguing won't get us anywhere."</p><p>"I'm not going to scream, I uh, kinda did that after I realized I died. A lot," Mal admitted, "It's just... I should be there, in my body! I have no idea what's going on, and I don't like it!"</p><p>"Well, you kinda did when you died. That's how I found your, uh, you know, dead body. I thought you were dead, and then I- Oh, Toby Fox..."</p><p>Sans trailed off, looking down at his lap. He definitely remembered the knife, and the pain, and the dust. He died, he should be dead!</p><p>So why was she the ghost?</p><p>His body was trembling lightly, and his head was swirling. Everything was starting to fade away again.</p><p>"Wait, don't go! At least give me back my body-"</p><p>Sans fell unconscious again.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>It was like that for awhile.</p><p>Sans would wake up in pain, manage to talk to Mal or a Doctor for a bit before he would fall unconscious again. It was a constant cycle of pain and confusion, as neither him or Mal really understood what was going on. How could they? The most they got out of their conversations was a bit of arguing over what happened before Sans would ultimately fall asleep once again.</p><p>Mal seemed frustrated at the situation, then again, who could blame her? She was trapped as a ghost and forced to watch her own body be used by someone else. Someone else who wasn't even her species and should have died. Sans was too confused and in pain to really process much. He threw up a few times.</p><p>At least, he thought he threw up. He wasn't really sure.</p><p>Mal tried to take back her body, but she ended up just going through him instead, like a normal ghost. They tried to make sense of the situation, but neither of them could come up with any good theories. Mal at least had a clearer head, and she was able to move around as a ghost. Sans was too busy laying in pain and passing out to do much.</p><p>He managed to get a sense of understanding about Mal, at least. She wasn't one to hold back, she let Sans know everything as soon as he woke up. Which was difficult for him to process when he was still trying to figure out how this even happened. There was too much information, pain, confusion. He just always hurt.</p><p>Over the course of time, though, it faded away. The pain lessened, and he managed to take a step back and look over their situation.</p><p>Mal had been the girl that he found on the street, that was for sure. She remembered being mugged, she had given them her money from her wallet before they stabbed her. And then she woke up in the ambulance as a ghost, and saw that her body wasn't hers anymore. She had been watching him this entire time, and got some information from the Doctors. They believed Sans was Mal, and had found him looking like her with his own dust on her, which they cleaned off and gave his family to do a funeral for.</p><p>Papyrus thought he was <em>dead</em>. That was the part that really hurt. Toriel, Asgore, Alphys, Undyne, Frisk, Papyrus. They all thought Sans was gone.</p><p>The Doctors believed Mal was the only survivor, which wasn't true. They claimed that she must have barely scraped past with her life, but Mal and Sans knew better. She died, she had lost too much blood. Somehow, Sans had ended up inside of her body after he died.</p><p>They had no idea how, or why, but he had her body, and he didn't know how to give it back. It didn't feel like he was possessing her, it felt like it was his body. He could feel each movement, he could feel the pain, he could feel the hair tickling the neck. It felt like his body, as if his skeletal body had just shapeshifted into this.</p><p>The pain thankfully faded, and Sans was able to move around. His recovery was slow but steady, the Doctors even exclaimed that his healing was faster than normal.</p><p>"That's it, I've tried everything," Mal said, slumping onto the bed. "I can't force myself back into my body, I can't talk to other people, I can't touch things. I'm a ghost. Just a dumb, stupid ghost with some skeleton possessing my body."</p><p>"You just tried a few things, we don't know for sure," Sans said, "You should go onto an elevator and go to the roof to really lift your spirits."</p><p>Mal snorted, smiling at him. At least she liked puns. Papyrus hated them and practically disowned Sans every time he used them.</p><p>"I don't know how you manage to make so many puns, I'm not that creative," Mal sighed, "Do you do that a lot?"</p><p>"Puns?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Just... this," She waved her hand in front of his face.</p><p>"I'm me all the time, so I think I am Sans a lot," Sans said, "But being a human? Nah, that's recent."</p><p>They had no ideas on what to do to return themselves to the way it was before. Sans couldn't get out of her body, and she couldn't stop being a ghost.</p><p>"You've just been calm, this entire time," Mal said, "Meanwhile, I was practically having f*cking twenty panic attacks in the corner, but you haven't lost your sh*t once. Are you sure you can't feel the painkillers? Because it would explain your unusual calmness."</p><p>"No," Sans said, "Can't feel 'em."</p><p>He was supposed to be drugged up on painkillers, but Sans honestly couldn't feel them. Was it because it technically wasn't his body? Then why could he feel the stab wounds and everything else?</p><p>This situation was confusing, but at least Sans wasn't passing out every five seconds now. Somehow, by some means, Sans was human. A skeleton monster was now trapped in a humans body of some girl named Mal he never met before.</p><p>"That could mean I might have a chance of taking back my body, somehow," Mal said, "Maybe through an exorcism or-"</p><p>"Again, I'm not a demon. I really don't think it'd work," Sans cut her off.</p><p>The door opening alerted the two of them, making them both look over quickly. In walked the Doctor, footsteps sharp as ever as he approached.</p><p>"He looks like he just f*cked someone in some closet at a Chili's."</p><p>That was the thing about Mal. She was blunt and honest. Too blunt and honest. When she had something to say, she said it, plain as day. And since she apparently had worked at an office, she knows that people should look professional. And his messy outfit did not cut it for her.</p><p>"Mal, how are you doing?" The Doctor asked.</p><p>"Hopefully not you," Mal muttered.</p><p>"I'm fine," Sans answered.</p><p>Of course, the Doctor had been talking to him. The Doctor couldn't see Mal, neither could any of the nurses. Maybe it was because Sans was dead too, or maybe because he was inside of her body, but he was the only one who could see her. And hear her... <em>interesting</em> comments.</p><p>"That's good. You've been making excellent progress, so much so that we might be releasing you in a few days," The Doctor said, smiling at Sans. "Isn't that great?"</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3 - Released</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A gentle push of wind rocked itself down the street, chatter being picked up through the air before dying off over the distance to become nothing more than distant whispers. The sun held high in the sky, clouds lazily drifting in front to block the path of the warm light.</p><p>It all felt so different. Everything.</p><p>The moment he had stepped outside, Sans jerked with the feeling of wind, clutching his arms. The soft air prickled at his skin, creating a weird sensation Sans couldn't have ever comprehended before. So he stood there, blue t-shirt fluttering as confusion filled his face. Other humans continued to walk by, undisturbed by his revelation of the feeling of wind upon his pale skin. His baggy jeans pressed warmly against his legs, creating the sensation of heat against his ankles that almost made him giggle out loud.</p><p>"What are you doing? Did the painkillers finally kick in?" Mal asked, "You look constipated."</p><p>"Never felt wind before, not like this," Sans explained.</p><p>It wasn't just the wind. Everything was so different, and... well, kind of awesome! His flowing hair constantly tickled his face and neck, the white strands invading his vision every so often. His skin even felt soft, fingers digging into the soft flesh. With his bones, he couldn't feel or do any of this. He couldn't feel the wind like this, he couldn't dig his fingers into his bones.</p><p>No one paid him any attention as he started walking, jeans shuffling and hair bouncing. He carefully dragged his hands down his arms, feeling the squishy flesh.</p><p>"Boing," Sans whispered as he squeezed the thin arm, watching it bounce back slightly after he released the pressure of his grip.</p><p>"Hey, hey, focus," Mal said.</p><p>"Hey, we're in no rush, let me enjoy this," Sans said.</p><p>"Yes we are in a rush," She said, "C'mon, walk like people are staring at you for talking to yourself. Because they kind of are."</p><p>Sure enough, there was a few suspicious glances thrown at him as people walked by. Probably because Sans was standing right outside of a hospital and was talking to air. If any of them stopped and talked to him, they probably would have told him to turn around and walk straight back in.</p><p>Sans pulled up the small plastic bag they had given him, supposedly looking through 'his' stuff. First, there was the wallet, tints of old blood staining the edges that they failed to clean. Then was a pair of car keys, them too stained with evidence from the fateful night. A keychain for some weird pink lizard looking thing dangled from it.</p><p>"Axolotls are cute, and so is my keychain," Mal defended herself, "But what are you looking for?"</p><p>"Phone, phone... there it is."</p><p>Sans brought out the flat screened phone, glancing at the model. Oh, wow, this is one of the more expensive phones. Not insanely expensive, but a better quality than his own phone.</p><p>Which was now probably in police custody as evidence, or thrown away. Sans wasn't getting his phone back.</p><p>Good thing he saved his memes on his account, so he could pull them up onto here. Whew.</p><p>"It's fingerprints for the password, your fingerprints should work," Mal said.</p><p>The case was a simple black, no types of decoration or anything to set it apart from standard looking phones. While the phone looked expensive, the case looked cheap, almost stupidly dollar store cheap. It was like Papyrus wearing a barrel, the two didn't go together. For a girl who seemed to comment on looks, Mal didn't really seem to care about how her phone case looked.</p><p>But she was right, the fingerprints worked. Unlocking her phone brought him to the homepage, which also happened to be the <em>only</em> page. With only <em>six</em> apps.</p><p>"This phone actually sucks, what the..." Sans muttered, looking at the screen. "No games, no social media... Is your background the stock footage of a beach?"</p><p>"No, I actually found that image online! I like beaches!" Mal said, "I've been saving up to travel, that's why I don't have many apps. Been working to save money, I don't have time to play games."</p><p>"No, this is actually just depressing," Sans said, "This could've been a phone for a robot, and at least Mettaton has some social media apps on his phone. There's no games, no backgrounds of friends or family... All you have is work apps and messenger, with contacts as well."</p><p>He clicked on contacts and almost choked.</p><p>"There's only... three contacts?" He hissed out.</p><p>
  <em>Mom</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Dad</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sister</em>
</p><p>That was it. No friends, no names, no other contacts. Just her three main family members, without their real names or even funny nicknames or any profile pictures. And the last message was to her sister, at least three weeks before the mugging.</p><p>"What are you? An edgy loner?" Sans asked her.</p><p>"No," Mal said, "I'm not edgy, I just use email more often than messenger. I've been working a lot, I haven't really been able to talk to my family much."</p><p>"There's a difference between being busy and being... whatever you are," Sans said, tilting the phone next to his ear to pretend to be talking on the phone. "Okay, which way is your apartment?"</p><p>"It's down Anderson street, near the ice cream store," She said, "You could take a bus there, or you can walk. I'd say walk since you don't have any money on you."</p><p>"Yeah, good idea," Sans concluded.</p><p>Another rustle of wind picked up, and Sans couldn't hold back the giggle that escaped from his throat.</p><p>His throat. Right, he had a throat. Still getting used to that.</p><p>"Why are you giggling so much? Seriously, you alright?" Mal asked.</p><p>"I'll tell you later, sorta walking through public here," Sans said into the phone.</p><p>He wasn't exactly sure what to do. Should he tell other people or not? Who could he trust now? What would people do if they found out? Would they shun him? Congratulate him?</p><p>Would they experiment on him?</p><p>Sans snapped out of his thoughts from Mal's voice, finding himself staring straight into her face. Well, kind of into her face, he could see through it.</p><p>"It's a left turn here," She said, "You almost walked out into the street, Sans."</p><p>"Oh, right," Sans sighed, turning left. "Thanks."</p><p>"You tend to zone out a lot. Thinking?"</p><p>Sans wasn't really sure how he felt about Mal. He doubted the two would have met if it wasn't for this occurrence, Sans wasn't one to go out and make friends. Then again, it didn't look like she did either, judging by her empty contacts.</p><p>From what he could tell, they were kind of opposites. Mal was loud, obviously, and she always talked without thinking, and was quick to comment and insult on things. Not in a mean way, but in a more 'I don't like what I see so I'm going to tell you because I hate lying' sense. But she did come off as mean. While Sans was still trying to figure out how they got into this situation in the first place, Mal was already focusing on what to do next, guiding Sans to her house.</p><p>"I guess, yeah," Sans said.</p><p>"You do that a lot, just thinking," Mal pointed out, floating next to him as he weaved his way through the crowd.</p><p>"And you don't?"</p><p>"I keep busy."</p><p>Papyrus worked the same way as she did. He couldn't really sit still, and moved around from task to task with a never ending source of energy that Sans could never hope to minic. Sans, on the other hand, liked to sit back and watch. He was more of an observer than an action taker, he liked to watch from the sidelines. Mal was like Papyrus, she didn't like to watch, she liked to take action and to do things.</p><p>Which really sucked, for their situation. Sans was the only one who could do anything, while Mal was stuck on the sidelines, barely able to participate.</p><p>"All you tend to do is small talk," Mal said, "Even though the weirdest thing happened to us, you wanted to learn my name first. I really don't get you? You've been calm this entire time."</p><p>"I don't think freaking out will really help," Sans said, turning around a corner with a slow pace. "And I like to take a step back and look at things before I really do anything."</p><p>Streaks of light cascaded through snippets of cloud to sprinkle down upon the sidewalk, humans splitting apart to avoid the bright sun inside of their faces. Instead, Sans directed his body through the sunlight, grin spreading as he felt the warmth on his skin. It was so different! He could feel the warmth of the light spread through his skin and around his body, he could feel everything with this body! It was fantastic!</p><p>"You're freaking out over the sun, too?" Mal asked.</p><p>"You try living your entire life underground," Sans said, taking another look at her.</p><p>"Okay, fair point. I'm an a**hole for pointing it out and I deserve to burn in hell. Won't be the first time someone told me that," Mal said, putting up her hands in defense.</p><p>"What- Did someone actually say that to you?" Sans asked.</p><p>"I'm an honest person," Mal shrugged, "Some people just don't like it."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4 - Apartment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>What the f*ck was her apartment.</p><p>There was a difference between having few furniture, and then being... this.</p><p>There was nothing. No decorations, no personal, fun things. There was no personality. The apartment looked so empty and minimum that Sans could have mistaken it for an apartment up for sale. There was one chair, not even a couch, and the chair itself was plain brown. The walls were empty, as were the kitchen counters.</p><p>"Do you... what?" Sans asked quietly, dropping the bag of items next to her door.</p><p>"Don't judge me!" Mal said, "Like I said, I'm saving up! I don't want to waste all of my money!"</p><p>"I get that, but Toby f*cking Fox, what the hell?" Sans said, "You only have one chair! Is this why you don't have friends?"</p><p>"I have friends!" Mal said.</p><p>"Not if they have to sit on the floor."</p><p>Sans walked more into the kitchen, taking a closer look at his surroundings. There was a T.V set up on the floor in front of the chair in the living room, the remote balanced carefully on the cushion.</p><p>"Do you even have any food?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Of course I do," Mal said, "But I'd rather not-"</p><p>He gave her a look before opening the fridge, mouth almost dropping from surprise.</p><p>"I can explain," Mal said.</p><p>"It's just shelves and shelves of grape soda," Sans said, pulling out two cans of grape soda from the depths of the fridge.</p><p>"I like grape soda," Mal admitted, a flash of embarrassment taking ahold of her before she shook it away with a quick recovery. "But there's food too, just behind the grape sodas. I feel like we should focus on how I'm still kind of a ghost here."</p><p>"Behind the abundance of grape sodas," Sans muttered. "Do you ever have any friends over? At all?"</p><p>"Not really. I work while at home."</p><p>"Let me get this straight-"</p><p>"But I'm not straight."</p><p>Sans paused, smile spreading on his human face from that joke. "Okay," He pointed at her. "That was good, really good. I'll give you that."</p><p>Mal responded to his compliment positively, smiling back. "Thanks."</p><p>"But hold on," Sans said, "So you go to work all day, work later than usual, and then come home... to do more work?"</p><p>"Well, if you say it like that..."</p><p>Mal fell silent, looking to the side as she genuinely thought over her schedule. With a soft nod, she turned back, face less confident than before.</p><p>"I guess, yeah," She said, "I go to work early and work late, and then I work at home."</p><p>"Do you ever invite any friends over?"</p><p>"I don't, but it's not like that," Mal said, "It's not about what I do now, it's about where I'm going."</p><p>"Okay, where are you going? What are your future plans?"</p><p>"Travel."</p><p>There was no hesitation before she said that, eyes practically lighting up like a fresh summer day when she spoke. Travel, huh? That was something Sans could respect, a lot of monsters wanted to travel. Not himself personally, but he could understand that desire.</p><p>"You've been working to travel, huh?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Yeah, I've always wanted to travel around the world," Mal admitted, "That's why I've been working a lot to get enough money, so I can travel with my friends and family."</p><p>Sans was blunt with what he said next.</p><p>"With <em>what </em>friends?"</p><p>"I- My family!" Mal replied curtly.</p><p>"You Mom and Dad, who you haven't spoken to in over a year?" Sans asked, waving her phone. "Or your sister, who you haven't messaged in three weeks?"</p><p>"My sister, not my parents," Mal said, "And I have friends!"</p><p>"Oh yeah?" Sans asked, crossing his arms. "Who?"</p><p>That was the moment she broke.</p><p>Mal had stuttered for a response, and he could see it in her eyes the moment the truth hit her. The woman took a step back, then another, realization dwelling within her face with the horror of reality that Sans had presented to her.</p><p>Mal didn't have any friends.</p><p>It should have been obvious by how she was living. If she only ever focused on the future, then she wouldn't ever be in the present. And that was shown in his surroundings. Empty apartment, calendar only filled with work, food only for one. She focused so much on the outcome that she didn't realize her drive to achieve it was in fact ruining it.</p><p>Maybe it was due to the resets, but Sans could never really imagine a future. How could he? After repeating the same days over and over again, the thought of a future was lost to him. He didn't have any plans, he couldn't focus on the future when there never <em>was </em>a future. All he could think about was the past, memories taunting his every waking moment. At least he could focus more on the present with Mal, who was practically having a meltdown.</p><p>"Oh my f*cking..." Mal trailed off, looking at Sans with a disturbed expression. "I have no friends!"</p><p>"Yeah, this is kinda sad," Sans said, "If your life was a coffee, it'd be a depresso."</p><p>"I... how did this happen?"</p><p>"I think it might've been that you were so set on getting money and working to ever be social," Sans said, "The same happened to someone I knew before."</p><p>"Did they turn out alright?" Mal asked.</p><p>"They died in the core, someone pushed them in."</p><p>"Great, I was murdered too."</p><p>There was a hint of irritation with the upset tone lingering in her voice, lip chewed on yet again with annoyance.</p><p>"That's it, my life was a waste!" Mal laughed, running a hand through her hair. "I wasted it all! I have no friends to miss me, my family probably doesn't even know or care! That's just f*cking great! And some sh*t nosed skeleton is in my body, and no one will notice. Or care. I was a jacka*s though, who can blame them?"</p><p>"I don't think you were, or are," Sans told her.</p><p>"Oh please, I totally am!" Mal suddenly snapped, looking up. "Look around! I have no life, no friends, no family, nothing! I even just insulted you! I was a sh*t person, and I know that. And I know you're lying, you think I'm rude too. I don't like it when people lie, so just talk, bag of bones."</p><p>"Toby Fox- yeah, okay, I thought you were kind of a jerk," Sans admitted, "But you weren't being mean on purpose to hurt people, you were being honest. And I respect that."</p><p>"Not everyone does." Mal said, "Gosh, everyone told me so many times, and I never stopped to look. Funny thing, isn't it? I had to f*cking die just to see my life was an a*shat of lies. That's funny, you can probably make a pun off of that."</p><p>Wow, that was a really quick recovery. Mal wasn't even crying, and she was already smiling again at her situation. How did she do that?</p><p>"Aren't you upset?" Sans asked her.</p><p>"Of f*cking course." Mal let loose a snort and fixed her hair. "But I'm already dead, what the hell can I do? My life was already wasted, no point in crying over it."</p><p>"I- How?"</p><p>How in the actual heck did she do that? She just found out her life was practically pointless and she was already over it! Sure, Papyrus was able to resist things like that, but that was because of his overwhelming positive outlook on life. Mal was not a positive person in the slightest.</p><p>"What's the point in dwelling. I'm already f*cking dead, there's no point in bothering," Mal said, "But what now?"</p><p>"What do you mean, what now?"</p><p>"What do we do now? Plans? Got any?"</p><p>"Hold up-" Sans held out his hand, "-For a second. Or multiple seconds. I'm still caught up on you wasting your life, and how you're just... calm. How do you do that?"</p><p>"Uh, how do I be me?" Mal asked, blinking. "There's not much to really worry about. I don't really see why I should be wasting my time worrying about my life when it's already over. We've got bigger problems, like how I'm a ghost, you're in my body, and I'm not sure how exactly we can make this work. I'm sure we can probably just get like a doctor or scientist to help or-"</p><p>"No!" Sans suddenly cut through.</p><p>"This is the first time this has happened!" Mal said.</p><p>"Which is why we can't tell anyone! Imagine what the government would do to me if they found out I was a monster in a humans body," Sans said, "They'd experiment, hurt me, and I'm not doing that."</p><p>Mal drew back for a moment. "Crap, yeah, you're right. But doesn't this just make you a human with a skeleton soul?"</p><p>"I'm not sure," Sans replied, looking down at his hands and squeezing them. "I'll check."</p><p>It's been awhile since Sans has pulled out his soul, an ability only monsters had. He gently tapped against his chest, feeling the culmination of his being slowly peel out from his human body. Okay, so he could still do that.</p><p>But when he pulled out his soul... something was off.</p><p>It was as if both his and a humans soul were mashed together, creating an ugly abomination of a white monster soul and a purple human soul. It looked like some weird blob, like the two had been smashed together with both of the souls pointing out awkwardly from one another.</p><p>"Oh my... that's my soul? And your soul?" She asked.</p><p>"This probably explains why only I can see you, and why you're still alive. My soul forced itself into your body and it kicked you out," Sans said, analyzing the blob of magic and determination before him. "At least, that's my guess. It looks..."</p><p>"Gross," Mal finished for the old skeleton, "It doesn't look right at all."</p><p>"I really have no idea what's going on," Sans said, settling his soul back into his chest. "I do know Alphys has studied soul stuff-"</p><p>"I thought you said we weren't going to tell anyone," Mal said.</p><p>"That we don't trust," Sans said.</p><p>"And you trust her to tell her this?"</p><p>Sans didn't move to speak, finding his usual voice lost within his human throat. Did he really trust her?</p><p>Yeah, yeah he did. Surely Sans did. Right?</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>
  <em>"You trust Daddy, right?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>An outstretched hand of a skeleton was reaching towards him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I just need help with an experiment, nothing more."</em>
</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Sans managed to snap out of the memory before it continued, but their souls both glowed in harmony, showing the connection they had. Mal narrowed her eyes, looking at Sans.</p><p>"Who was- Nevermind," She said, "We have to focus on what to do next. I'm guessing we shouldn't trust anyone, not when we're like this. Can you use your magic?"</p><p>The pale wrist of Sans flicked out, a familiar glow of blue magic sparkling within his left eye. A bone materialized above his hand, just like before. Same density, same magic, same feeling.</p><p>"Holy crap, that's awesome! I knew monsters could use magic but I never really thought about it," Mal said, drifting closer to him.</p><p>"Yeah, I..." Sans trailed off, a hand pressing against his lower gut. "But uh..."</p><p>"Is something wrong?" Mal asked.</p><p>"You know, since I'm a, well, was a skeleton, I didn't have to do... human <em>things</em>," Sans whispered, "And, well, since they had bedpans at the hospital, I didn't have really have to understand how it, you know, happened."</p><p>It took no time before Mal was looking between Sans and the bathroom, green eyes wide. Sans used to be a skeleton. Since he had been bedridden, the hospital had used a bedpan, so he wasn't forced to learn how to do it. But now he wasn't.</p><p>Sans had to go to the bathroom. And he didn't know how.</p><p>"Oh," Mal whispered, "Oh no."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5 - Skirt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a difficult first day out of the hospital, really. In the hospital, it really had given Sans a bit of time to adjust to his new body. But now that he was independent in the body, new problems arose that Sans didn't have to face the hospital. Like going to the bathroom manually. Yeah, he didn't like that. Going to the bathroom was dumb. He liked simply breaking down the food into magical energy, not digesting it. Why were humans so weird?</p><p>However, due to their combined souls, it looked like Sans had taken on certain traits of both humans and his old skeleton self. While he did still digest food, he did break down half of it like he used to, which cut down the number of times normal humans went to the bathroom by half. A concerning point the Doctors had brought up, but had concluded it to the recent incident. As they did with some other changes that Sans' skeleton origins had brought.</p><p>The first point was why the painkillers didn't really work. After a bit of talking, Sans explained some skeleton traits to Mal that really could have helped explain the changes that weren't very human. Skeletons couldn't get drugged. Their souls were the culmination of their beings, and since skeletons had no brain, their entire sense of thought and will came directly from their souls. Thus, Sans couldn't feel any types of drugs, because his entire being was still inside of his soul, just with a new 'container'. Just because his 'container' changed didn't mean he could suddenly get drunk. If Mal was still inside of the body, maybe she could feel it, but she wasn't. He still would have some human changes, but some things stayed with his skeleton side. Such as his magic, as it came with his soul.</p><p>Which would also explain the second change, the physical change. The Doctors were rather worried about his skin color, the white. It wasn't a pale skin color, no, it was a pure paper white. One to rival the dead colors of Mal's bedsheets, really. They chalked it up to bloodloss, but were still worried when no color returned after recovery. Still unnaturally white, just as white as his hair, which could be explained as dyed. It wasn't, Mal didn't waste her time dying her hair previously. The changes had come with the introduction of Sans' soul. When it took control of her body, some of his magic likely drifted into it, causing the more skeletal changes. Both his hair and his skin now matched the color of his bones, and the bright blue eyes matched the color of his magic.</p><p>There was a lot more upkeep for human bodies. Sans didn't like the sudden change. The first day and night along were rather difficult for both him and Mal, who were still adjusting to their changed forms. Not only did Sans had to learn how to go to the bathroom (a horrible experience, really), he had to take a shower. Basically, he had to bath a body of the opposite gender that he was inhabiting. And clean parts he never had to before.</p><p>Thank the lord he was gay, or else it would have been significantly more awkward. Still, it was awkward, but if he was attracted to female bodies it could have been far worse. It didn't help that Sans didn't know how to clean a human body, so Mal had to hover inside of shower to help him. The hair was the most difficult. He didn't understand why it needed so much soap. And why did it need to be brushed? Toriel didn't brush her fur, why did people have to brush their hair? It was just fur, but longer! It made no sense.</p><p>Being a human was not for Sans. That point was made very clearly. It was like going through his awkward teenage years all over again, yet with the threat of death far more prominent. Not only was he discovering his body, one that wasn't his, but he was also going through health class again! And this time, he couldn't sleep in class because he <em>had </em>to know the information. He knew skipping out on those classes would come back one day to bite him, but he didn't think it would screw him over this hard.</p><p>It wasn't exactly awkward being a male in a female body, though. The awkwardness was that Sans never had any private parts before, and was very not used to just... living with them. All the time. Girls had to carry two bags of nothing but extra weight on their chest? Why? Why couldn't they just grow if they had a baby if that was their purpose? Why keep them around their entire lives if it serves no purpose then? Mal had given him a really weird look when he pointed it out, then said "Wait a f*cking minute, that'd solve so many of my problems" afterwards. Seriously, bras were super uncomfortable, Sans hated putting them on. And why did they have weird locking clips, or whatever went on in the back? He spent a lot of time fumbling with that when he first put on a bra the next morning, making a face at Mal who laughed at his misfortune.</p><p>The hairbrush practically glided through the silky white hair, eloquently pulling down. Like before, it simply popped back up into the more wavey, curly way it was before. Not like Mal's, which remained smooth and straight.</p><p>"It's already brushed, I don't get why girls have to do this every morning," Sans muttered, tugging the weird object through once more.</p><p>"I don't get how your hair didn't get tangled when you went to sleep," Mal pointed out, drifting close to the mirror on the wall. "You think it might be more magic stuff?"</p><p>"Maybe," Sans said.</p><p>Just looking at him it was pretty clear he didn't look like Mal, that his skeleton features and magic had taken ahold and made some changes. It would make sense. When a monster got ahold of a human soul, their body would change with the sudden determination increase. If a human got ahold of monster magic, their bodies would become more magical.</p><p>Sans both looked and didn't look like Mal. Her face was the same, and her body was the same shape. She kept herself in shape, she was rather thin and likely kept a good diet. Mal was the type of person to care more about physical health than others, but her obvious love of grape soda was included often in her day to day life. While the shape of their bodies were identical, obvious changes could be seen.</p><p>Her green eyes may be bright and fierce, but they were naturally green, having no hints of magic. Sans', on the other hand, were a bright blue that weren't natural, and would simply glow brighter when he used magic. While her hair was more straight and a calm brown, Sans' was puffed out and was an unnatural white, just as his paper colored skin was. His face was as naturally calm as his old skeleton face was, the recognizable grin able to be recreated. Not like Mal, her face was stern and often filled with emotions, while Sans' still held back with his calm, approachable looks.</p><p>"Are you sure you want to go?" Mal asked, "You trust them enough?"</p><p>"I don't have to tell my identity immediately, I mean, I can screw with them a bit," Sans said, "But yeah, I think I can trust them. Paps is my skele-bro after all." The hairbrush clattered to the table, the hair tie being picked up shortly after. "Now what do I do with this?"</p><p>"You tie it in and- nevermind, it'll be hard to explain it without showing you, just leave your hair down." Mal fluttered after him as he walked, hands crossed behind her back. "You been feeling bonely without him?"</p><p>Sans gave a snort, pointing at her with a gleeful expression. "Yes."</p><p>"Perhaps we can visit my sister, but- ah, nevermind," Mal said, "I'm technically dead, I don't want you to pretend to be me for her."</p><p>"We can visit her sometime, maybe I could act as like a communication transfer for you, I dunno," Sans said.</p><p>"Maybe."</p><p>The small closet was pulled open, revealing the small amount of clothes available for Sans. A selection like this proved that Mal wasn't always business, as he has been learning. In a professional environment, Mal would ride to the top, that was rather clear. However, when he managed to talk to her more, she was more laid back. Brutally honest, and had no filter, and sometimes distracted, but she was still more laid back. People probably weren't her friends because she kept it professional, never inviting anyone to meet her outside of a work environment. Sans probably would have never been her friend if they had met before this incident, but that was the weird beauty of the situation. Mal was forced to be with someone outside of her usual distant business personality, forcing for her to become personal. Maybe it was just their souls being forced together, but despite their opposite behaviors, he had a pretty clear understanding of her. It was likely an addition of their weird soul bond that really helped enhance this, letting them become friends quicker.</p><p>Mal did actually have more comfortable clothes other than her work clothes, which further proved she wasn't always work focused. Unfortunately, none of those options consisted of basketball shorts. The pants she wore were too tight, Sans had never worn tight pants before, and trying to wrestle into them was too much of a hassle. Thus, he had no other choice but to do a skirt.</p><p>And holy crap, he loved it.</p><p>Sans never really considered wearing girl clothes before. It wasn't something he hated, he just never really made an effort into buying any clothes. All he really had was one outfit, Sans never really wanted to expand and waste more money that he could be spending on other things they needed. He used to work three jobs for a reason.</p><p>But skirts we're so cool! They were pretty loose, and the lightly colored skirt swishing back and forth. Sans loved doing that, turning his hips to swish the fabric back and forth. Sans never really expected to find more femine clothes like this comfortable. Then again, he never considered trying to wear it.</p><p>"It's just so swishy," Sans said, turning his body again.</p><p>Looks weren't something Sans cared about, but the sudden change of a body did draw his attention to mirrors now. Because that wasn't him he saw in his reflection.</p><p>"You find joy in such simple things," Mal snorted.</p><p>They had both come to a conclusion about their situation. Mal only trusted her sister, but wouldn't want to tell her she was dead. Sans, while a bit on edge, would trust Papyrus, along with his other friends. Alphys wasn't a crazy scientist, she cared about other people. She could help them!</p><p>Though, he couldn't stop the soft waves of anxiety and fear that came with the excitement. Mal had noticed too, helping calm him down. Sans didn't really need to calm down his worries, the excitement far outweighed the worry. Not only was he going to reunite with his brother, he was going to be able to prank a few people as a woman, unknowing that the person they were talking to was actually Sans. It might be fun to see what other people thought of him. They likely would complain about his puns more than anything.</p><p>He was going to see Papyrus again! His bro was going to be so happy to see that Sans was alive!</p><p>And like that, Sans closed the apartment door behind him, sucking in a breath of air before he walked away.</p><p>Time to go see his friends again.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6 - Grillby's</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A dense cloud of warm summer air suffocated Sans as he stepped off of the bus, almost gagging on how hot it was. The unfortunate downside to feeling heat more effectively, and for the weird need to breath. Sans never noticed air quality before, but now he couldn't help but be reminded of it. Good thing he wore loose clothes to help cool down.</p><p>It felt like forever since Sans had stepped back into the monster part of town. After escaping from the Underground, monsters had went to inhabit the nearest town, using it as a starting point to expand out into the world. They were still getting used to the surface, but by now everyone had at least settled down into decent homes to see where they would want to live. Monsters were already starting to move out, but most of them still remained within this city.</p><p>Monsters easily outnumbered the humans on the streets, but there wasn't a concerning lack of humans. While the change was unusual, humans and monsters were adjusting. Mainly monsters populated this area, though, and it was evident looking around. Most of the houses and apartments were owned by the magical. Heck, there was Muffet's Bakery.</p><p>People he recognized filtered past Sans and his ghost companion, yet none paid any mind. It was odd, as Sans was more known, and half of these monsters often gave him a hello when their paths crossed. But they didn't recognize him, not like this. Everyone thought he was dead, too.</p><p>Everything was so different now, yet the tint of familiarity remained. Such as attending a high school reunion, only that everyone thought you were dead and now they don't recognize you. Fun.</p><p>Sans let his arms swing back and forth, feeling the most alive and excited he's felt in years despite having been killed. Gosh, he couldn't wait to see everyone's faces when they find out he's alive! He'd probably have to wait until they're off work and eating dinner, though, as he did sleep in a little too late. Mal had woken him up four times previously, but he had went back to resting as soon as she turned her back. Just as he usually did Papyrus.</p><p>This worked better for the situation. Sans doubted Papyrus and the others would like to be told a close brother that had recently passed on was still alive during work of all times. Sans wanted to wait until dinner time to tell them. It'd be a bit difficult to get them all together, they never all hung out after work as everyone did their own thing.</p><p>But, in the meantime, he could tell Mal about everything from his old experiences! Like a tour, just for his invisible ghost friend.</p><p>That's how Sans and Mal ended up settled in a park bench, distant enough away to talk without suspicion, but not so far as Sans couldn't see the street. Sans didn't want to out his state of life, not yet. If it got out, Papyrus would probably receive the news during work, which wouldn't have even come from Sans. Not to mention, there was prank potential with a new face.</p><p>"I used to work a few jobs that dealt with a lot of people, that's why I know a lot of the monsters," Sans explained, "Oh man, especially at the bar. Grillb' has the best burgers, I used to go and play poker with the dogs all the time. It got pretty ruff, but I managed to snag some cash each night. I wonder how their games went without me, they probably didn't even do them without me bring there."</p><p>"Did you go every single night?" Mal asked.</p><p>Sans brushed a collection of his white hair over his shoulder, looking down at the town from their distant location. "I did, yeah. It was a good way to get a few extra dollars that I needed, since I'm really good with poker. There was no risk of me ever getting drunk, so it was pretty fun."</p><p>"Sans, did you struggle with money?"</p><p>That point had Sans glancing away. It wasn't something he was proud of admitting.</p><p>"I... yeah, I did," Sans confessed, "But life always was hard for me, not that I have the right to use that excuse. Trapped Underground, alone with a younger brother, no parents to take care of me... I had to do everything myself, raise Paps on my own while trying to get money. I would like to think I did a good job, and I'm sure I did. I worked three jobs, and almost all of the money went to him."</p><p>"I get where you're coming from," Mal said, drifting down onto the bench next to him. "I kind of raised my younger sister as well. My parents, while they did raise us, didn't really give the right support we needed. There's nothing to be ashamed of, it's normal to struggle for money, especially from your circumstances where you were forced into that role. But you worked hard, didn't you?"</p><p>"Yeah, I spent a lot of nights working late for Paps," Sans sighed, "Selling hot dogs, watching for humans... it was rough. It helped make a lot of friends, though, and I had all of their support, which was nice." He leaned back. "It was really only for Papyrus that I kept going, he was all I really had in the beginning. Getting friends really helped a lot, I can't wait to tell them all I'm alive. Undyne is totally going to freak out, she's always found it cool whenever people deal with experiences and survive. Like those stories where people survive falls or lift cars off of others? She used to watch those all the time."</p><p>"It sounds nice to have friends, gosh, what was I doing all of those years?" Mal groaned, "What were some of your friends like?"</p><p>"Well, like I mentioned, the poker dogs, they're awfully nice, but everyone in the bar always was," Sans said, "Grillby was a chill dude, I talked to him from time to time. I knew everyone, and everyone knew me. It was great, the bar was like my second home. But my really close friends were my group. We all got along, we all were a group. It was fun, and nice. I knew I was a bit lazy, but they still cared about me. I guess my job really helped me get to know people the most, though. I bet they'd like you."</p><p>"You think so?" Mal asked, "I'm a bit of a hotheaded honest person."</p><p>"And I was a lazy skeleton who slept too much, but they still cared about me," Sans joked, "But wanna go check out Grillby's? You can look around the place and see the regulars, I can get a bite then we could wait for their work to be over."</p><p>"Go to a bar at 3 in the afternoon?" Mal asked.</p><p>"Monsters don't have the weird human time frames that you guys do for bars," Sans said, "I know it's a bar, but monsters still go during the day. Sometimes people party at bars and have girl days instead of girl nights. Humans are so weirdly specific about times and when something should or should not happen. Like ice cream, we still sell it during winter. It's fine to eat anytime."</p><p>"Ice cream during winter? Oh, that's the worst crime by far, you monsters have no class," Mal joked, "Back under the mountain you go."</p><p>"Then I bet you can't wait to hear that ice cream we have is actually called nice cream," Sans snorted.</p><p>"Nope, too weird!" Mal laughed, looking away dramatically. "I cannot stand to even look at you."</p><p>Their joking died down once Sans rentered the street, following it down to where he knew Grillby's was. The sun continued to shine above, heat pressing in around him as Sans continued down the path.</p><p>No doubt the dogs were a little upset one of their main group was gone, Sans had been playing with them for years. He even summoned some bones for them from time to time. Grillby, well, he had actually asked out before, but was turned down. Not really a loss, Sans did find him kind of cute, but there wasn't much more than that before. They talked a bit afterwards, but Sans spent more time with the dogs than at the bar. What was the point? He couldn't get drunk.</p><p>The inside was cooler than the summer air, a soft humming of music faint, yet present, in the background. Continued chatter of monsters pressed on despite the new presence of a human, an uproar of laughter emerging from the dog table at the result of the hand.</p><p>It looked the same as before. Mal had caught on, looking around with her bottom lip being pulled under her teeth. The bar looked lively, it looked normal.</p><p>Like Sans never died.</p><p>Sans made his way to the bar, ignoring the pang of worry that he could feel from Mal's soul. Sans knew he technically died a few weeks ago, but it just looked like no one was affected by it.</p><p>Sans settled down at the bar, feeling a swell of anxiety bubble in the back of his throat from the sights around him. They didn't know him, it looked like no one cared that he was dead. Maybe they were just coping, just dealing.</p><p>The usual drunk bunny gave Sans a wave before her head smacked down against the counter again, mumbled words lost to the world in a slurred, incomprehensible sentence.</p><p>"She said we have a new customer, a human one at that," The bird to his left hummed, catching Sans' attention. "How are you, sweetie?"</p><p>"Just visiting," Sans said, giving a forced smile.</p><p>None of them knew him, he was a stranger. Why not take advantage of that?</p><p>"Why hello there, visitor," The bird said, leaning against their wing. "Humans don't come to Grillby's too much. In fact, we never get many new visitors."</p><p>That was something Sans always never bothered to question. Underground, only the same people went to Grillby's. New visitors never did seem to come back, but Sans paid them no mind. His focus used to be on the games, and if they didn't like the food, it was fine.</p><p>"Oh man, you're a pretty girl," The bird sighed, "I hope you don't run away too."</p><p>"What?" Sans asked.</p><p>"We're down a person, we need a new regular." She tilted her beak up.</p><p>Oh, she meant him.</p><p>"Down a person?" She'd probably tell him about himself, about how they suffered his loss.</p><p>"Yeah, some guy... he went and died, or something."</p><p>The comment had Sans staring, his hand slightly quivering.</p><p>Some guy? They had talked a lot. She was Quelly, the bird monster that went to the bar everyday. She had romance problems because she wasn't particularly attractive, and had a few pets. They weren't best friends, but still...</p><p>"What was his name?" The drunk bunny slurred.</p><p>Sans looked back at her, finding his voice lost. Her too? Sans helped her home multiple times! She once got so drunk Sans had even called her sister to come and help her get into bed. Mal hovered above them all, looking back and forth.</p><p>"I thought you said... they don't know you?" Mal asked.</p><p>Sans thought they were friends. Didn't they at least know him?</p><p>"It was Sans, that guy died," Quelly said, "Was mugged or something. Not going to lie, I've called it."</p><p>Called it?</p><p>"He's just too nice, he probably offered to go to the bank and draw out more savings for them." She snorted to herself. "Whatever, he's dead now. Thank Toby Fox, if I heard another word about his brother I would've thrown up."</p><p>"Whatever, he's dead now?" The drunken bunny slurred, "Ain't that like... Mean? To the guy I don't know?"</p><p>Sans looked down at his white hands, crossing them together. Mal's own drifted over to try and comfort him, but as usual, she floated through.</p><p>"Not really."</p><p>"Not really?" Sans echoed back to Quelly.</p><p>"I mean, he was here, I guess," Quelly said, "But he was only here. I only talked to him 'cause I felt bad, I hate puns to be honest. I know he's dead and all, but I'm not going to suddenly change how I feel about him. No wonder Grillby called him a sack of a wasted soul."</p><p>Grillby said that?</p><p>He wanted to lay down and just sleep. That felt more preferable than listening to this.</p><p>"Sans gave us bones! Sans was useful!" One of the dogs yipped from their table.</p><p>That's right! He never spent too much time at the bar because he always hung out with the dogs! The dogs were his real friends at the bar, of course they'd have his back.</p><p>"But he was annoying," One of the married dogs brought up.</p><p>"Super annoying," Her husband added.</p><p>"Yeah," Quelly said, pointing a feather from her wing back at them. "None of us liked his puns. And he always talked about his brother, it got annoying real quick."</p><p>"So let me get this straight," Sans said, "A guy used to visit the bar, and now he's dead. And you all felt this way about him?"</p><p>"We'd wait until he left so we could bet more money," One of the dogs said, "He's good at poker. Too good. But he gave us bones, bones are good."</p><p>"I wouldn't say hate, he was always sorta here," Qwelly said, "Like we just sorta accepted him, and were nice to him, felt bad for him."</p><p>"Suuupppppppper bad," The drunk bunny giggled on his right. "He died alone too. Haha."</p><p>"Like I will," Quelly muttered, downing another beer.</p><p>"I miss Sans' bones, can we get the bones?" A dog yipped.</p><p>Everyone missed what he gave them.</p><p>Basically, everyone missed his gifts. They didn't miss him.</p><p>Sans wasn't sure how to feel. Betrayed likely. His soul hurt, and his lips quivered slightly. Years of his life was spent with these people, and this was the result? One of them barely remembering his name, the others insulting him just after his death? No wonder the bar was lively. No one cared.</p><p>He almost walked out right then before Grillby was entering the bar from the fire exit, quickly catching sight of the new customer. Mal floated to the side.</p><p>"Sans, I think you should leave now," Mal said, "Please."</p><p>A pang of worry for his own happiness flashed across their combined souls. Why did she care about him?</p><p>Without any need to talk, it felt like they were communicating. The confusion Sans felt went across to her soul, and she sent back a wave of her own answer.</p><p>Doesn't he deserve happiness?</p><p>"Oh, hello there," Grillby said, giving Sans no time to ponder that question before he was thrust into another conversation.</p><p>Next to him, Sans heard the bird mumble something, but didn't manage to catch the words.</p><p>"Hi." Sans sounded so more quiet than before.</p><p>"What's a pretty girl like you doing in a bar all alone?" Grillby asked, "Are you waiting for your boyfriend?"</p><p>Sans barely even registered Grillby had called him pretty before he answered, "No, I'm not waiting for anyone."</p><p>"You looking for someone?"</p><p>The comment had Sans snapping his attention fully onto the fire bar tender with upmost confusion. Was he actually hitting on Sans?</p><p>No, no, that couldn't be true. Sans knew Grillby was bisexual, he knew Grillby said he wasn't looking for a relationship when Sans had implied it before. Why he sudden change?</p><p>"Sans, stop talking to him," Mal said.</p><p>A brief look of confusion was sent to her by Sans before he returned back to Grillby. Why was she telling him to stop talking to Grillby? Her tone was different, suddenly higher with a twinge of utter worry dissolved into each word.</p><p>"No, I'm not," Sans said, "I was just getting to know monsters, and such. I heard about the Sans guy, sorry about your loss."</p><p>"Oh, it was no loss, don't worry about it," Grillby said, waving off the idea. "Guy was a total flirt. Always not respecting women's boundaries, constantly pushing himself onto the girls with no respect. I handled him, of course."</p><p>Handled him?</p><p>Not respecting women's boundaries?</p><p>Constantly pushing himself onto the girls?</p><p>Sans was gay! Grillby knew this. Sans flirted with him once, but when Grillby said no, Sans backed off! No loss, either? Seriously?</p><p>Sans really wanted to throw up now. He felt sick.</p><p>"That's a blatant lie," Mal said, looking at Grillby with annoyance.</p><p>Why would Grillby lie about Sans like that? What was his motive? Did he really hate Sans that much just to lie about him after his death?</p><p>"Did he ever hit on you?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Yeah, but I turned him down."</p><p>"How come?"</p><p>"He had nothing to offer me."</p><p>Had nothing to offer him.</p><p>Nothing to offer...</p><p><em>Nothing to offer</em>.</p><p>A hand reached up to grip the front of his own shirt, Sans suddenly finding it hard to breath. His chest hurt. His soul hurt.</p><p>Was Sans really that worthless to be considered nothing from Grillby? Was he worthless just because he used to be a skeleton?</p><p>What made human Sans any different? Wasn't he just the same person, just in another body? Was him simply becoming a girl what made Grillby suddenly interested in going out with him?</p><p>Sans felt sick. Really sick.</p><p>"You know, you have a very attractive body," Grillby said, "You're a very beautiful woman."</p><p>"I... thanks?" Sans wasn't sure how to take compliments; he never really got them before.</p><p>"I can't believe you don't have a boyfriend," Grillby continued, "If I were dating you, I'd have to keep the other men at bay to protect you."</p><p>To protect him? Girls weren't weak, heck, look at Undyne and Alphys. Both of them displayed just how intellectual and physically strong woman could become, as Alphys had knowledge to rival his own, and Undyne was strong enough to knock down their King himself. Sans has seen first hand just how strong woman could be, so why did he need to be protected?</p><p>Did this happen all the time? No, it couldn't have. Sans came here all the time before he died, and he never saw this happen.</p><p>But...</p><p>Now that he thought about it, there never was any new customers. Every single time a new person showed up, they never appeared for a second visit. Everyone in the bar wasn't considered 'hot' by social standards, which Sans never really considered before. They were people first, looks never mattered. Sure, it was cool to see a hot guy, but he wouldn't go aim for the hot guys when trying to flirt. He only flirted with Grillby that one time because he thought the guy was cool and wanted to see if they'd connect, not because he was literally hot.</p><p>Oh, Toby Fox, Sans almost went on a date with him! With Grillby, who scared away everyone who was new probably by this awkward flirting that was getting creepy. Didn't Sans already say he wasn't looking for anyone?</p><p>"I'm not interested," Sans quickly said, holding out his hand.</p><p>"How come? You're single, and I'm just a nice guy looking for a partner," Grillby said, tilting his head like he was actually confused. "I'm not here to use you then leave, I'm here for a genuine connection."</p><p>"I'm just not interested, sorry," Sans said.</p><p>"Sans, you have to leave, now," Mal pressured on.</p><p>"I'm not going to hurt you, I'm a nice guy looking for a connection, I don't get why girls always go for bad guys instead of the nice ones," Grillby said, pressing his own hand against his chest like he was hurt. "You're beautiful, and I believe we'd get along great."</p><p>Everything about Grillby screamed that Sans should leave, just like Mal was insisting. Grillby had said Sans had 'nothing to offer him', but this exchange was far more creepy now. Sans already said no, multiple times, and Grillby kept insisting because he was "nice". When Sans had gotten a no, he had moved on, because he respected Grillby's wish to not date him. Why wasn't Grillby respecting his?</p><p>Was it because he was a woman? Because he was beautiful now?</p><p>Just because his body changed, now he was expected to date someone? Couldn't Sans just remain single? He didn't want to settle down for a relationship right now, especially with confusion. Shouldn't his decision be respected?</p><p>Sans didn't know. His head was spinning from confusion, but utter disgust was what really fueled him at that moment.</p><p>To think Grillby had done this so many other times behind his back was horrifying. Grillby had done this before, to female and male monsters.</p><p>He hadn't done this to Sans because Sans can't have sex. It was because he was a skeleton.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>
  <em>"She was a b*tch," Grillby had told Sans when he came to the counter, watching an uncomfortable looking monster boy run out of the establishment. "A real f*cking wh*re, let me tell you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sorry to hear," Sans said, "Some people are just like that. But you're a nice guy, you'll find someone."</em>
</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>How was Sans so blind that he didn't even notice the obvious creepiness that was going on? Was he that ignorant before?</p><p>He never paid attention because he never experienced it.</p><p>What an idiot he was.</p><p>"You said no," Mal said.</p><p>Before Sans could stop himself, he was repeating what she said. "I said no."</p><p>That was the first time Sans was ever firm in so long. Usually he just sat back and let stuff happen, he always need motivation to protect someone else to do things. His own happiness and protection was never a priority.</p><p>Yet here he was, being firm against a man he once called a friend. It was repulsive how he was acting, feeling like he was entitled to date Sans just because he was a "nice guy". Didn't the female's desires matter as well?</p><p>"A perfect woman like you shouldn't be single, I don't understand why you're not interested," Grillby said, "I'm just trying to be nice."</p><p>"You don't have to explain yourself, no means no," Mal said, staring down Grillby. "He's a creep, you have to leave. He's going to treat you the same he treated that monster."</p><p>An emotion flashed across her soul, transferring to his. Or was it a faint memory? A simple feeling?</p><p>Either way, it told Sans the exact same thing everything else has. Grillby was creepy, and was trying to manipulate him into sex.</p><p>"I don't have to explain myself," Sans said sternly, standing up. "No means no, and you're a creep. I'm leaving."</p><p>When he started to walk away, it didn't quell down the uncertain feeling of despair that he got from that single interaction. It felt wrong and creepy, and it made his soul spark with magic to defend himself. He was scared, worried for his own safety from a man he thought was once a nice man.</p><p>It was a feeling Sans never felt before, and it was utterly terrifying. A kid with a knife who had the ability to turn back time? Yeah, he could handle that. He's killed them before, he's fought against that. Death was something he's experienced, and he's grown used to. A skeleton with a needle? Yeah, he's been experimented on. Sans could handle that.</p><p>But being forced to do something by a man? Something he would never forget, something that would always stick with him?</p><p>"Fine, go you sl*t!" Grillby yelled out.</p><p>"And we lost 'nother one!" The drunken bird from the bar chuckled behind him, their laugh and Grillby's profanities muffling when the bar doors closed behind him.</p><p>It was a feeling that Sans was terrified of.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7 - Jar of Dust</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was supposed to go better.</p><p>From everything that happened, Sans swore Papyrus would make his evening better. So he had ran straight from the bar all the way home, blinking back tears as he made his way there. Surely Papyrus would be the pure one, the person who would have cried over missing his dear brother.</p><p>But he never expected to see his own dust in the trash.</p><p>Monster dust was something special, what your family and friends do with it is considered the highest form of care and displays of love for the deceased. It was considered close to a human funeral, where the closest family member or spouse would choose what they would do with your dust. Spreading it over something you loved was a great option, another was to keep it close, usually within a jar labeled with a picture or name. That's exactly what Papyrus did, it looked like. A jar with his name, carefully sealed tight to not let any molecule of Sans' previous body escape.</p><p>A jar laying next to the trash can outside, ready to be taken away.</p><p>The street was bare now, as if every monster and human had retreated inside just as the sun dipped below horizon. No life was outside but Sans, standing alone in the street, shadows cascading down across his human body.</p><p>Trembling hands reached down, gently picking up the jar. It wasn't even standing on the bottom, it was set on the side, as if Papyrus couldn't even respect him enough to stand up his jar. </p><p>As if everything just crashed around him, Sans shut down. He couldn't feel his soul, nor could he feel what Mal felt. All he could do was stare at his own jar of dust.</p><p>Thrown away by his brother.</p><p>Who didn't even have any respect to stand up his jar properly.</p><p>He just felt... empty. Sans should have felt something. Betrayal. Sadness. Grief. No, his emotions simply all shut off, leaving nothing behind but a heavy chest and cold soul.</p><p>Blue eyes drew upwards to look into the window of their shared house, hand holding the jar hanging limp by his side.</p><p>Light from inside dragged out across the front yard, stopping only a few feet away from where Sans stood. Shadows danced in front as people moved. Undyne, Alphys, Toriel, Frisk... all of his friends. They were all in there, with his brother.</p><p>Everyone never managed to get together after being freed to the surface. Their schedules were chaos, Sans never did get to hang out with all of them at once. Yet there they were, all together, having a friend dinner together. Toriel's homemade meal spread across the table.</p><p>And...</p><p>They were happy.</p><p>Papyrus was laughing, pressing his hands against his face as he giggled. Toriel was giving off her own happy smile as she rubbed Frisk's hair, the two watching Undyne and Alphys talk.</p><p>They were all smiling and laughing, having such a good time. Ignorant to Papyrus' still very alive brother, who was standing outside, watching from the descending shadows of the street.</p><p>They didn't need him. Papyrus didn't need him. All Sans was to them was this garbage, cast aside with as much worth as the coffee filter that his jar of dust was laying on.</p><p>So this is what everyone thought of him? Trash? Something to throw away once it was gone? Not to cherish, not to love and miss?</p><p>He was just trash, thrown aside. Everyone humored him while he was alive, and once he was gone, they could stop pretending.</p><p>Alphys was happier without him.</p><p>Undyne was happier without him.</p><p>Frisk was happier without him.</p><p>Toriel was happier without him.</p><p>Papyrus...</p><p>His little brother. Beloved bro.</p><p>Papyrus was happier without him.</p><p>Static. That's how his head felt. Utter static, buzzing away at everything he felt that morning. The excitement was gone, as was his hope to see Papyrus again. Something sharp cut through the air, but Sans didn't hear. <em>Static static static</em>-</p><p>Out of nowhere, he was being grounded back into reality from his spiral of thoughts and static, finding a cold pair of hands pressing against each cheek. Mal floated in front of him, green eyes focused right into Sans' soul.</p><p>Because she could see him, for who he was. He couldn't hide from her like he could the others. Maybe it was a blessing, or it was a curse. But it didn't matter.</p><p>"Sans."</p><p>"Papyrus, he- he-"</p><p>"Sans."</p><p>His words fell short, silence filling the air of the empty street. Mal was there, grounding him away from his thoughts back to the present. Her face looked worried, softening away once she caught his attention.</p><p>"You're touching me," Sans whispered.</p><p>Reaching up himself, he pressed his hands against her ghostly one's. They were cold, and there was a distant feel to them, but they were there. Touching him, stabilizing him. He was here, right now. His thoughts weren't allowed to run rampant with Mal there, her soul steadying his.</p><p>"I am," Mal said, "There's a bench down the street. You should sit down there."</p><p>Shadows danced across his body as he trudged towards the bench. The static was distant, buzzing in the back of his head as he made his way forward. A soft breeze picked up his skirt, making it flutter. Oh right, he was wearing a skirt. It was swishy, didn't that make him smile?</p><p>Why couldn't he feel anything?</p><p>Only when he sat down did his walls break down, letting loose a wave of emotions that swept his soul away in the current of grief. A wail left Sans before he could muffle it, hair falling across his eyes as another followed. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks, hands pressing against his mouth. His body trembled, something wet dripping down his hand, smearing across his face. Now he was aware of not only the burning pain of utter betrayal, but of a few cuts on his hand.</p><p>Oh, he had dropped his jar. It had shattered on the street, and pieces of glass cut his arm.</p><p>The thought was quickly lost over what just happened being brought back like a truck, slamming into Sans' mind forcefully.</p><p>They didn't want him. They didn't care. They <em>threw him away</em>.</p><p>It hurt. Oh, it hurt so bad. More tears continued to stream down, the stress from everything finally breaking Sans down.</p><p>"Hey, hey, I'm here," Mal said in front of him, resting her arms on his shoulders. "I don't know how to comfort people too well, but I'm here. And you're here. We're here and alive."</p><p>"I-I- Papyrus threw me away!" Sans choked out, a sob escaping his throat. "He threw me away!"</p><p>"Yeah, I know," Mal said, "He did, and that was a sh*tty thing to do."</p><p>"But- Why? W-We were bros, I thought he l-loved me!" Sans cried, running a hand through his hair to push it away. "Was I always just garbage to him? I mean, I don't get i-it! I'm just trash! I'm worthless, and dumb, and-"</p><p>Once again, Mal dragged him out of his thoughts by gently squeezing his shoulders. "Hey, hey. No you're not."</p><p>"Yes I am! Look over there-" Sans pointed to his broken jar and pile of dust, "-He threw me away. I'm just dumb t-trash that no one wanted around."</p><p>"Just because Papyrus threw you away doesn't mean you're trash," Mal said.</p><p>"Yes it does. I'm worthless, no one wanted me! I'm just a stupid-"</p><p>"No you're not." Mal squeezed his shoulders again.</p><p>Sans closed his eyes, blinking away the tears. He hated this. Lying down and never getting up felt preferable than feeling these emotions.</p><p>"Don't go lie down, you can't avoid this," Mal said, "Papyrus and everyone else threw you away, but that doesn't mean you're worthless. They're bad people."</p><p>"No they're not, it's me. That's obviously why everyone hates me. I've always been a useless pile of bones, everyone was just waiting for me to f*cking die," Sans mumbled.</p><p>"Do you really think it was just you?" Mal asked.</p><p>"Of course it was." Sans sniffed, nose clogged from crying, "First Grillby and the bar, now this? Everyone hated me, I'm stupid and worthless."</p><p>"Have you ever considered that it isn't you, but them?"</p><p>Sans snapped his attention back to Mal.</p><p>"No, it's not them!" Sans said, "Papyrus is cool, and so were all of my friends."</p><p>"Are you saying Grillby was cool?" Mal asked.</p><p>A pause from his words was left hanging in the air before Sans answered. "No. He's disgusting."</p><p>Sans felt a coil of utter fear boil in his gut from that encounter. He felt like he was going to throw up just thinking about it.</p><p>"You thought Grillby was cool before because of the facade he put on, but you found out it was all a ruse when you went in as a girl," Mal said, "You're a nice guy. You worked several jobs for Papyrus alone. Don't you think everyone might have been taking advantage of you?"</p><p>"I..."</p><p>Mal had an unusual way to comfort people, but it was working on Sans. What he needed was someone to drag him back to earth, to tear him away from his destructive thoughts and to focus on the present. Sans always had a hard time stopping his thoughts, which often led him down a dangerous path of self loathing and hatred.</p><p>But here was Mal, grounding him and talking to him straight forward. She wasn't cutting around the bullcrap, she wasn't a liar. Sans couldn't help but listen to her, to understand everything she was saying was meant from her soul.</p><p>Because he knew her, he could feel her soul. Despite meeting each other after Sans woke up in her body, he knew her more than he knew his own brother. He knew her every emotion, she couldn't hide her true thoughts from him. She was nothing but truthful right now, so Sans couldn't help but consider what she was saying was true.</p><p>"Think about it," Mal said, hovering down slightly. "The dogs talked about only liking your bones that you gave them. Grillby called you names behind your back and tried to flirt with you because he only cares about sex. Papyrus threw away your dust when you couldn't work for him anymore. You're too nice, and they all took advantage of that. Now that you're seeing them from an outsiders perspective, you're seeing who they really are."</p><p>"But... why would they... w-why would Papyrus...?" Sans trailed off.</p><p>"I don't know why, and we might never know," Mal said, "We have to look at what he's done, though. He threw away your dust and held a dinner with all of his friends without you. He's a bad person, that's not your fault, and it doesn't make you any less of a person because of it. I know you, we're literally stuck together, and you're a good guy with good intentions. You just let your mind go crazy and you get so caught up inside of yourself that you never can talk about it. Look at them, Sans. Do you really think you should care what these people think?"</p><p>Sans glanced back at the house down the street. There they were, all happy and together. Not a care in the world that Sans' dust was next to the trash.</p><p>They didn't care. They didn't miss him.</p><p>"So why should you worry about them if they never recognized what a good person you are?" Mal pointed out, "If you went in there and faced them, they'd give you excuses and get you back to work for more money. Do you want that life? Being taken advantage of by others?"</p><p>"N-No," Sans said, sniffling as he rubbed his nose.</p><p>Mal was right. If all he did was cry over this, nothing would change. Storming in and demanding answers wouldn't help. They already hated him and thought he was worthless, what would revealing he was alive do? Sans wouldn't benefit from it.</p><p>They'd use him. Pretend to apologize.</p><p><em>Experiment </em>on him.</p><p>"I can't believe Papyrus would... just do that," Sans mumbled, "I thought we were close."</p><p>"You know," Mal said, drifting to sit next to him. "I once thought my Mom and I were close, too. But when I came out... well, it showed who she really was. I never did like some of her habits, but I thought since she was my mother, she'd understand. She's not a woman of confrontation, so I had to corner her to get the truth. She's not religious, and she's supportive of gay men, but seeing a woman with another woman makes her uncomfortable." Mal looked up at the color filled sky. "My mom made a lot of bad decisions, but by far the worst was not being there for me and my sister when we needed it. My family is full of terrible people, my Uncle and Aunt were the only sane one's, and they moved away. When they did that, I realized I had the choice to, and you bet I did."</p><p>"So that's why you don't contact your family much?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Yeah," Mal said, "If anything, my Uncle is the only person I consider to be my parent. Not my real Dad."</p><p>"It'd be cool to have parents," Sans said quietly, playing with his fingers. "I had a Dad once, but..."</p><p>"He experimented on you, didn't he?"</p><p>Sans fell silent.</p><p>"You don't have to tell me, I get why you'd want to keep quiet," Mal said, "But you always bottle up your emotions not to hurt others, and this is why you're breaking down now. We didn't get to talk about what happened earlier, and what you just saw made everything collapse. We should at least talk about what happened, and what we're going to do."</p><p>"Yeah," Sans said, looking back over. "I can't believe I was so stupid to think everyone here was good. Like Grillby, I... do guys seriously do that?"</p><p>"Unfortunately, they do," Mal said, crossing her arms as she looked up again. "Not all guys are like that, and not all girls are like that, but they are out there. Some guys just think because they're nice, they're entitled to you and that you should date them. And when you say no, they become angry and insult you. It's a problem, really."</p><p>"And to think Grillby was like that, ugh... it makes my head hurt..." Sans said, "I never really thought about it before because I was a skeleton, but you girls have to go through this?"</p><p>"Yeah," Mal said, "Not all guys are bad, and I can't talk for straight girls who are trying to get dates... but since I'm gay, some guys somehow think it's hot and think they can insert themselves into our relationship. And some others think that I'm gay because of the bad guys, but I'm not. I'm just a girl who likes girls, and for some reason that makes the bad guys look worse at me. Did you know one time someone told me I just hadn't found a d*ck big enough, and told me that they'd turn me straight?"</p><p>"No way," Sans said, looking at her.</p><p>"Yes way!" Mal said, "That'd be like a girl telling a guy he wasn't straight because he hasn't found a girl with good enough t*ts yet."</p><p>"That's all so wrong," Sans said, "This is why I never really got the sex stuff. I was a skeleton, I couldn't exactly experience it, so I never got the big hype. To think people would be that creepy just for a date and a one nighter is disgusting."</p><p>"It is." Mal outstretched her hands, looking up at them. "It's why I worked out, because I've encountered guys like him. Not all men are bad, like you, but some are. And I have to prepare for the ones who are."</p><p>"That makes sense," Sans said, closing his fingers together. "I... I don't know how, but you made me feel better. Thanks for keeping me stable."</p><p>"It's fine," Mal said, "But what do you want to do now?"</p><p>"I... I don't know." Sans looked at his ghost friend. "Papyrus was my everything, I worked so hard to make sure my bro was happy. Now... I don't really know."</p><p>"Well, you literally have a chance to start a new life," Mal suggested, "You have a new body and a new name. You lived your previous life for Papyrus... but I think you should start to live for yourself."</p><p>Live for himself?</p><p>Sans never really considered that before. With the resets and experiments, everything he did was for the others, to stop the resets. But now it was over. He was on the surface, Frisk couldn't reset anymore, and he had a new body.</p><p>But he had a new opportunity to live again, to live a new life away from the people who threw him away once he was dead. Why not take it?</p><p>The sadness from before wasn't completely gone, but thanks to Mal, Sans had a new hopeful grip on his situation.</p><p>A new hopeful outlook on his future.</p><p>Something he's never had in a long time.</p><p>"Yeah, I think... I think I'll try that..." Sans said. He looked over at Mal, soft smile drawing onto his face. "With my new friend."</p><p>"First time real friends?" Mal asked, sticking out her fist.</p><p>"First time real friends," Sans confirmed, fist bumping her.</p><p>"Oh, ew, you got snot on your knuckles," Mal said, quickly drawing her hand away.</p><p>"Ugh, everything hurts from crying," Sans said, snorting his nose. "I can't breath."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Darkness swept across the lawn as the sun was finally set, Papyrus waving away as the last car pulled out of his driveway. The house was now eerily empty, no sound to be found.</p><p>He hated it. It was too silent, nothing to bring life.</p><p>Papyrus tossed aside his scarf, letting it land on the couch as he made his way to Sans' room.</p><p>It was hard, ever since his brother died. Really hard. Papyrus almost felt like he was going to cry again, ready to burst into tears at any possible moment. It hurt, it hurt so much. He missed Sans, he really did.</p><p>That's why everyone was constantly coming over now, despite their once busy schedules. To help Papyrus through this time. They all missed Sans, but it was clear Papyrus took the hardest hit. He tried to stay optimistic, but it wasn't going very well. Sometimes his friends helped, but once they were all gone, he just felt empty and lonely again.</p><p>He missed Sans.</p><p>Why did Sans have to get attacked? Why him? Sans didn't deserve it, yet his dust was given to Papyrus outside of a hospital room. Papyrus was given the option to enter and talk to the girl that did survive, but he couldn't.</p><p>He knew it was wrong, but Papyrus couldn't help but wish it was Sans that survived instead of the human girl. No doubt she had her own family that was glad she made it, hugging her close and thanking the lord she was alive, which made Papyrus so much more guilty over wishing her dead and his own brother alive. It was unfair, Sans didn't deserve this. He was the nicest, coolest brother in the world, and he was <em>gone</em>.</p><p>Papyrus knew he should soon spread Sans' dust, but he wasn't ready to let go yet. And he knew it wasn't healthy to talk to his brothers dust like Sans was still there, but... Papyrus couldn't help it. He missed him, so much... it hurt. It hurt so bad.</p><p>Opening Sans' room made him freeze, noticing the spot he had cleared for his brothers dust was gone. No, no, not again! That stupid dog-</p><p>Papyrus quickly looked around, biting back tears that threatened to spill once again. The Annoying Dog really seemed to love to torture Papyrus, as he stepped up his game now to almost always guarantee Papyrus would probably cry.</p><p>He hated it, but the dog didn't understand what he was doing. He thought it was just a new toy, and sometimes moved it like he did Papyrus' attacks or other household objects. By far this was the worst whenever he found Sans' dust jar gone, it always instantly drove him to tears with utter worry. It always remained on his property, but that never did settle down Papyrus' fear of losing his brothers dust.</p><p>And so, that left Papyrus to run around the house, swearing silently to deal with that dog. He was considering just carrying around Sans at this point, but he didn't know if it'd help or make it worse for his mental health.</p><p>Everything hurt. Papyrus found himself crying as he looked out the front window, looking desperately for the only thing left of his brother.</p><p>Wait, was that...</p><p>No no no no no no-</p><p>Before he knew it, Papyrus was falling to his knees in his front yard, bone scraping against the sidewalk. Why did the dog leave it here of all places? Next to the trash? What if the garbage man took Sans' dust away?</p><p>"No no no-" Papyrus chanted, trembling hands scooping up piles of dust and glass shards into his hands.</p><p>The jar had broke, and now some of his brothers dust was stuck between the cracks in the sidewalk. No!</p><p>Papyrus pushed his skull into his hands, and without any constraint...</p><p>He <em>sobbed</em>. </p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Art</h2></a>
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    <p>Okay so lads the next chapter will be either published later or tomorrow, so I'm going to upload this. I have some art of female Sans to show ya, and I also have a fanmade cover someone drew.</p><p>
  
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</p><p>And someone drew an epic fan cover for me, holy crap DeadmenLoveMusic thank you for this! </p><p>        </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 8 - Breakfast</h2></a>
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    <p>This was a blessing in disguise, really. It was! Sans had died and learned how everyone truly felt, and while that did suck, Sans had a new life. Everyone thought he was dead, well, he was, but still. They wouldn't go out and chase him, they had no idea he was given a second chance at life. Sans literally had the world give him a second chance, why waste it?</p><p>Finding out what everyone thought was terribly down putting to say the least, and Sans had cried more that night. Mal was pretty cool about it, though. She knew Sans, so she knew how to calm him down, how to make sure his thoughts didn't get too far. Sans was pretty thankful for her.</p><p>If they hadn't ended up like this, Sans honestly doubted they would have ever become friends otherwise. Mal had to be dragged away from her work, which took her being murdered to do so. Not to mention how honest she was, Sans would have taken everything she said personally and probably would've broken down because of it. Now, though, he knew she wasn't saying things out of rudeness, she was saying things because of how much she hated lying.</p><p>Why did he know that?</p><p>Because they were bonded by souls, he could see everything about her. He felt whatever she felt. Much less, when they thought about it, they could see each others memories.</p><p>
  <em>"But Mom, you lied to him."</em>
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  <em>Mal was standing at the edge of her large and luxurious kitchen, watching her Mother set an ordered box onto the kitchen table.</em>
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  <em>"It's okay, sweetie! Your Father's money is our money!" Mal's Mother said, pulling out a very expensive looking dress from the box.</em>
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  <em>"It cost us more than our rent, we're running out of money because you keep buying yourself stuff," Mal objected, younger hands clasping from annoyance. "You have to stop, or at least tell Dad! We won't be able to afford rent next month, and you're pregnant anyway, the dress won't even fit soon!"</em>
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  <em>"Doesn't the dress look lovely, Malerie?" Her Mom asked, ignoring her daughter's logic completely.</em>
</p><p>"Oh my gosh," Sans said, grinning as he paused brushing his hair. "You're full name is Malerie?"</p><p>"Shut up!" Mal called from the other room, "Like you're any better, you're named after a font!"</p><p>"My font is amazing, I use it every time I wrote anything."</p><p>"Don't people hate the font?"</p><p>"Exactly, almost never got replies for my emails. It was the best."</p><p>Sans smiled at the snort from his human friend, running his pale fingers through his fluffy white hair. It felt really nice, he'd probably miss his hair if he ever went back to a skeleton.</p><p>Could Sans ever go back? The now human paused his hand, looking at the mirror in the bedroom. This new body may be his permanent container, he might die old like this. It was a really good possibility. He might be a human for the rest of his life. And Mal might be a ghost for the rest of her life, until her soul was destroyed.</p><p>At least she could now touch him. Human souls weren't magical, but they were determined. Her determination was what kept Sans alive by helping feed Sans' soul that same determination, and her determination to comfort him helped her be able to touch him. They were in a beneficially mutual relationship, really. Sans' magic was what allowed Mal to have a ghost form, and it was what kept her soul alive. In turn, her determination had given Sans the ability to take her body, and had kept his soul alive. Now that they had done their part, they didn't need their souls to be connected, but Sans doubted they could ever truly unconnect them. Even if they did manage to somehow, there would always still be their shared connection.</p><p>Now that he thought about it, there was a good possibility they both could actually get their bodies back. Sans had magic, all he had to do was get his soul out of this body, and he'd be able to create his own body, then Mal would get her own body back. But in order to do that, Sans would have to split their souls.</p><p>Which he had no idea how to.</p><p>Pressing a hand against his chest, he brought out their shared soul once again. Yeah, there was no going back from this one without leaving them connected. Even if they did split completely, they would probably still share their understanding of one another. You couldn't just mess with souls and return them to normal, there always would be remains of what happened.</p><p>If Sans could somehow build a machine or something to split their souls, or have some power strong enough to, they could go back to normal. Well, not completely normal, they'd still feel each others emotions and see their memories, but they'd have their own bodies.</p><p>Sans did want to do that, he wanted Mal to have her own body. She deserved it, to have the same chance to live like he did. Just... how?</p><p>Sans didn't know. He really didn't. It was confusing, and trying to understand how they got that way too much made his head spin. Their souls somehow naturally bonded into one body, it was likely Sans wasn't going to be getting out of it for a long time.</p><p>Out of respect to Mal, Sans wasn't going to change her body, even though he was practically a trans person, as he was a man in a woman's body. Only he wasn't born that way, but still. It was her body, he wasn't going to go change it just to make himself feel more comfortable. He didn't have male parts before, why would he get surgery to have them now? No, gross. That's why he wasn't going to go change or anything, it was Mal's body, she had the right to say what happened to it, even if Sans was in control of it. It was still her body, in the end.</p><p>Gender for skeletons was rather different. While they were born as male or female depending on the bones, there wasn't much pressure to fulfill gender roles, not compared to humans, where producing offspring naturally depended on gender. Skeletons just had to use their souls for children, which made it was easier.</p><p>But Sans actually really liked girls clothes. Seriously, he did. Sans never did try them before, as he just assumed they were like any other clothes. But skirts, though...</p><p>Swish swish swish. </p><p>He liked them. A lot. They were just so swishy, much like his hair, he liked how fluffy and thick it was. If he did go back to being a skeleton, he would probably wear dresses and skirts more. He just really liked them.</p><p>The question still stood on what Sans should do now, with his new identity. Technically, he was Mal. So he would have to act like her.</p><p>"I can't drink grape soda, and I hate it," Mal told Sans, floating through the wall next to the mirror.</p><p>"Well, I have to go into your work as you, so I'm going to die. Again," Sans said, sticking out his tongue at her.</p><p>"It's a mental job, I'll just tell you what to do," Mal said, "It's just managing people."</p><p>No doubt that Mal was a great manager. She knew when to set times, how to organize things, really, she was fantastic at it. Sans was fine dealing with people, as he could handle it in his own way, but Mal really took the cake when it came to dealing with everything a company manager would have to suffer through.</p><p>But hey, Sans learned from his previous life. Don't give people gifts when you just met them, it sets up expectations. Oh, and monsters were all terrible and he hated them.</p><p>Well, not all monsters, but the ones he knew were. Once again, screw Grillby and every 'nice guy' out there who acted like him. Sans couldn't blame girls for acting so cautious after he went through that, holy crap that was terrifying. Never again.</p><p>"Hey, lost in the clouds boy," Mal said, snapping her fingers in front of his face. "You gotta go get breakfast, then leave soon."</p><p>"Yeah, 'lright."</p><p>Once Sans was in the kitchen, he pulled open the fridge, pushing aside the many cans of grape soda. Seriously, there was a lot. It was an obsession that rivaled his with ketchup.</p><p>"So," Sans said, popping open a leftover container of chinese food, "Did your Mom do that often? Buy a bunch of crap even when it wasn't financially a good idea?"</p><p>"Wait, Sans, that food is cold-"</p><p>Before Sans could heed her warning, he had already taken a bite out of the cold leftovers. He spit it out, realizing that temperature did matter to flavor when you weren't a skeleton. One would think Sans would be used to that, but no, apparently he wasn't.</p><p>After the problem of food had been solved by microwaving it, Sans and Mal went back to their conversation, letting the T.V hum for background noise.</p><p>"She did that all the time?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Yeah, all the time," Mal said, leaning against her hand as she floated next to him. "It drove me crazy. When my Dad ran out of money, which was bound to happen, she tried to take the cash I had been saving up from my job. Good thing I planned ahead, and had stashed it at my friends house."</p><p>"Oh, a friend you say? I thought I was your first," Sans joked.</p><p>"That's what she said," Mal said silently, making Sans laugh. "But I did actually have one friend when I was younger, she was my only friend. Yeah, I did lie, I'm not a virgin friend maker. I've had a friend before. My parents didn't like her that much, especially after my Mom found out I was gay. She kept a lot of my stuff at her house because I didn't trust my parents with it. But after she got into an accident, her parents and her moved away, so I never saw her again. It was awhile ago." Mal waved it off. "She really helped me deal with my parents, though, so I gotta thank her for that. She had my back for so long. Especially with the whole 'coming out' thing."</p><p>"I get that, coming out was hard for me too," Sans said, "But I did it when I was young, and Paps was really supportive. What kind of accident did she have that made her move?"</p><p>"The school we went to had a collapse, and she got a pretty nasty scar on her face. Her parents were so mad they sued, then took her to a different place after she left. They never did like my parents anyway, so they made sure to get away from my parents. Can't blame them, we were neighbors and my Mom ruined their days constantly."</p><p>"That's gotta suck, but I couldn't blame her parents. I would'a ran too, judging by how your Mom acts. Where did she move to?"</p><p>At that question, Mal averted her gaze. "... Around here."</p><p>The smile was unstoppable, dragging across his face just like it used to, full on goofy and mocking. Mal narrowed her eyes at him, blushing slightly.</p><p>"Oh my gosh, shut up!" Mal said.</p><p>"You came out all this way and got a job here for a girrllllll," Sans taunted.</p><p>"It's not just that! There was a lot of business opportunities around here!" Mal said, "It just happened to be the same place where my crush-"</p><p>Mal slammed her hands against her mouth after the word escaped, green eyes peeling back from utter surprise. Sans tauntingly wiggled his eyebrows, a move he found was very fun to do as a human. Embarrassment leaked across their shared connection, Mal's blush increasing.</p><p>"So, who's the lucky lady?" Sans asked, tilting his cup towards her.</p><p>"I..."</p><p>Mal's hands fell, resting on top of the counter.</p><p>"It doesn't matter," Mal said quietly, a look of defeat crossing her face. "I'm dead, I can't talk to her anymore. I might as well forget her."</p><p>Silence hung in the air as Sans scooped up a a spoonful of rice, looking at her sorrowfully.</p><p>"Well," Sans said, "This just got depressing."</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 9 - Work Visit</h2></a>
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    <p>"Mal, you look nice today."</p><p>"Mal, you look lovely!"</p><p>"Digging the new look, Mal."</p><p>If Sans heard one more compliment, he was going to throw up.</p><p>The turned human sat behind the desk, chewing on the edge of a pen without any dignity. He grinded his teeth down again, light sparkling across his white skin eloquently. He looked like an angel, really. With slick, thick, yet smooth white hair that twirled it's way down, and with his plump lips, electric, unnatural blue eyes, and white skin, he looked like a goddess. Which was the f*cking problem.</p><p>He was hot, apparently. Too hot.</p><p>It really was his magic that had a helping hand in this. Mal herself looked normal, attractive, but rather normal and plain. However, due to Sans' magical influence on her body, he turned a plain attractive person into something entirely different. Her hair was more smooth and fluffy, the white curls transcending down her body in a fashionable state. The pure white skin somehow amplified his outfit, making it appear more fashionable then it was. Large, unnaturally bright blue eyes lured people in, causing them to want to stare at the bright color.</p><p>And <em>how </em>did Sans know this, you may ask? Because he was told this all day long, by every single coworker inside of her building.</p><p>"If I get one more compliment about my hair," Sans said, narrowing his blue eyes at the door, "I'm going to throw up."</p><p>"It looks beautiful, Sans," Mal said, smiling as she floated in a sitting like pose on top of the desk. </p><p>"I'm going to throw up," Sans said.</p><p>Reaching behind the desk, he pulled out one of the few discs Mal had at her home. He flashed the cover towards her before he threw it up into the air, letting it land on the desk.</p><p>"Up is a really good movie, don't go throwing it around," Mal said.</p><p>"Hey, I warned you," Sans said, holding up his hands. "Test me again and I'll throw Up even higher."</p><p>"Noooo, my favorite movie!" Mal said dramatically, throwing herself against the desk.</p><p>"But seriously," Sans said, pointing towards Mal, "I can't handle this. Everyone keeps just talking about my new looks, or your new looks."</p><p>"That's never actually happened to me before," Mal said, "After I became boss, no one has ever been that nice to me here. They just do their work and move on." She sat up, glancing over at the door. "I just guess it's because I'm, well, you, are really pretty now. You really are. If you were actually a girl I'd be drooling over you."</p><p>"What's so attractive about white hair and blue eyes? Plenty of people have blue eyes," Sans groaned, "Not to mention my white skin, it's paper white. That's a health condition for humans, yet everyone keeps freaking rubbing my arms because they think I use lotion." His face fell against the desk, eyes peaking out behind the curtain of his hair at his ghost friend. "Please help."</p><p>"I'm dead."</p><p>"Don't care. Please send me help, I am going to die again if this keeps up."</p><p>Mal looked at him gently, pulling aside a collection of hair to show off both of his eyes, not just one.</p><p>"Hey, you're doing fine," Mal said, lowering down to give a gentle smile. "For your first time managing people, you're doing fine."</p><p>Sans nodded, leaning up slightly. "It's because I have a cool teacher telling me what to do."</p><p>It was true. Mal was a natural. When a few people had asked about schedule and work stuff, Sans fell silent, unsure exactly how to respond. It was Mal who led him through the conversation, talking naturally as if she was the one who was talking to the employee, Sans repeating every word she did. However, his voice wasn't as clear cut of refined as her voice was, so he didn't quite have the same effect. Mal was demanding and sharp, her voice cutting through the air like a knife. Sans' was more soft and deeper, but still sounded like a female, lulling people into a sense of comfort.</p><p>As if the world wanted to get the two onto more even playing grounds, Mal was witnessing how people acted when Sans was in her body. Did becoming hotter have a sudden impact on how her coworkers treated Mal?</p><p>Yes, yes it did.</p><p>When Sans had left his office to go get a drink of water, Mal pointed out how differently they treated her. Sans had been walking towards a door, and a male colleague of Mal's had rushed to open the door. He never did that before. A woman had stopped to talk to Sans about his new hair, gushing about how they were best friends when Mal had no idea who she was. So that was rather fun.</p><p>Everyone liked Mal now, that was rather clear. But they didn't like her for her work ethic, or for her amazing success she's had handling people. Oh no, they didn't respect her for that. No, instead everyone liked that she was prettier now. Sans was saying the same things she would say in the given situations, he repeated her word for word! All that changed was that she was more attractive, and then suddenly everyone was treating her significantly better?</p><p>Sans wasn't trying to even make friends, he was doing everything Mal did. Yet they acted like he was different, just because he looked different.</p><p>That's why he stood in the bathroom, looking sorrowfully at the mirror. A thin hand reached up, pushing aside the hair that covered his right eye just as Mal did earlier that day. It naturally covered his eye, despite Mal's hair not doing that for her own ghostly self. Probably another effect of Sans' magic influence on her body, since only his one eye socket worked for his magic, it covered the one eye that didn't channel his magic. Both were the same color blue, so bright and vibrant, it could make anyone's heart melt with a soft smile. </p><p>Sans groaned, pressing his hands against the counter, letting the hair fall naturally down again. He was beautiful now, such a pretty girl.</p><p>He didn't like it. He really didn't.</p><p>Biting back tears that threatened to leave the confines of his eyelids, Sans shook his head. He never did have much confidence of his body before, but everyone treating him like just a sex toy was something that almost made him cry. Sans was a skeleton, he didn't get the sexual urge, and he didn't get why everyone else insisted on pushing it onto him. Was this what being pretty meant for poor girls? Being constantly harassed, seen as an object just to get pregnant? What about their hopes, their dreams, their aspirations? Their inner beauty? What about Mal's funny little jokes, her crush on a friend that she wished to share her life with, her motivations and firm upbringing? Did that matter to these people?</p><p>No, it didn't. It didn't matter before.</p><p>Because she wasn't this hot before.</p><p>Trembling hands held up scissors, grabbing a chunk of hair and holding it out. He could make himself ugly, cut his hair into hideous chunks so no one would look at him. It'd work, wouldn't it?</p><p>The scissors clattered into the sink, Sans falling forward in defeat. What was he doing? This wasn't his body, he had no right to change her appearance without her say so. He'd respect that, and he'd respect her. Sans was supposed to be pretty, yet...</p><p>Why did he have such a hard time leaving the bathroom, knowing that people would be eyeing him again? He was pretty, they weren't judging him for anything, they <em>liked </em>how he looked.</p><p>Somehow, that made it far worse.</p><p>He...</p><p>He had to find Mal. She could calm him down, she knew how to handle these situations. His thoughts were getting too far, if he didn't calm himself down soon, he'd break down again.</p><p>However, when he left the bathroom, he didn't find Mal. Instead, he found two Corporate representatives that Mal had shown him, gently discussing something. They perked when they noticed him stepping out.</p><p>"Ah, Mal, good morning!" One of them said, "Do you have a moment?"</p><p>Sans gulped. "Sure."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Mal had worked so hard to get where she was. Days and nights were spent typing away, constantly working. It was her dream to own her own company one day, to have a legacy to call her own. That's what she worked on so hard, so she could have the funds to travel, to have a name for herself. To stick it to her family, to prove that a woman from a terrible family could rise the ranks, to...</p><p>To impress the girl she liked. That was also a small fantasy of hers. Before she would take her sister away and travel, she would finally stop and find her old friend, then offer her the tour they've always dreamed of. She'd whisk her away, and everything would fall into place. Mal wanted to be successful, and she was there. But just being manager wasn't enough, and she knew it.</p><p>Before, Mal proved to be effective, but she knew everyone was on the fence about her ranking higher in the Company. Not because of her work, no, her work was fantastic. No, they were worried about a woman so stern getting more power. She knew there was always some sexism amongst this field, especially since it was filled with more older men who still seemed to live in the past where woman didn't have jobs like this. Mal understood the barriers, and still pursued this job.</p><p>And she was doing good! She became Manager by sheer dedication, and she had been expecting a promotion soon. The office she worked at wouldn't last long without her, as she was the only one who lit a fire of work for her coworkers. If Mal wasn't here, they'd be a mess. She was better than their last three Managers, she's seen them, and she was better than most of the people in Corporate, much less the head of the company. Her numbers were the highest amongst the company, and she's kept them away from bankruptcy on a number of occasions. Mal knew where her talents were, and managing people was one of her strongest one's. It was her brutal honesty, really. It didn't make friends, but it sure as heck tore people from their comfort zone and forced them to grow as a person.</p><p>"I like Mal so much better now," One of her older coworkers hummed, sipping his coffee in the kitchen.</p><p>Nothing changed but her looks. She was fairly attractive before, but not on a level that would cause you to stop on the street and look. Makeup wasn't her thing, she had nothing to hide. With firm, professional clothes, she was fine. She never showed off any skin, never made herself be distractful for the people around her. They were distracted enough from their work by simple computer games, if a girl walked in wearing revealing clothes, they'd all probably be distracted for the next week, nothing would get done. Mal was confident with her body, and she was rather confident that she knew her coworkers. It'd be a mess, really, to wear anything slightly revealing. Not that she would anyway, it was an office, they should be professional.</p><p>Should was the key word. They should be professional, and not stare at their boss because she looked hotter. They should be professional, and not be taking this many breaks.</p><p>They should be professional, and not be talking about their boss and how much better they liked her now.</p><p>"I think she's a better Manager, I liked that she got stabbed," Another said, smiling. "She probably got straightened up and realized she needed to fix some things. There's no need to hide her skin, c'mon girl, show a little! It ain't gonna kill her."</p><p>Mal watched her coworkers talk. It was disgusting how they all just assumed she was a better person just because she was hotter now. Sans was wearing more revealing stuff than she did, she often wore dress pants and a button up shirt, but he was wearing a skirt and a loose top. Not very revealing, but it did frame his- well, her body better. And with the new changes, Sans was making her look hot.</p><p>That's what people cared about, wasn't it? Appearances? They'd like to look at you, and if you don't show, they won't like you. Not all people were like that, but it was annoying that some people were. This was a business, not a fashion company. They didn't come her to drool at a girl, they came to do work! Looks should matter second to productivity, no?</p><p>Mal herself was a lesbian, but even she knew to keep herself under control when there was an attractive female. She looked away, and she got her work done. Just because the girl was attractive didn't mean she was a good person, or that she was productive. She might be, she might not be. Mal had to focus on her own job anyway, and she had a girl in mind that she wanted to sweep away.</p><p>"I think she should go back to her old desk job, where she was just a newbie," One of the older men chuckled, "She'd fit that better. Doing simpler numbers, she'd keep the company afloat, and she'd be easier to talk to. Not to mention look at. Sit her next to my desk, I'll show her a good time."</p><p>Didn't he have a wife?</p><p>"I think she took the stick outta her butt," One of the girls said, "And figured out she's got a bod that goes on for days. Probably after she slept with the head of Corporate, there's no way she got that position herself."</p><p>Slept with- Was this woman kidding? Mal would never sleep with someone over a job, she'd rather work hard and get fired then have to resort to using her body to please someone else just for a stupid promotion. If the promotion required her to do that, she'd rather just walk out on the job altogether. This was a job about numbers and skills, and if people hired just by who slept with them, their company would be heading towards disaster soon.</p><p>Did they even realize how valuable of an asset she was to the Company? Her branch was the one who raked in the most sales, her employees were always working. Everything came on time. She was single handedly keeping the Company from crashing and burning, yet everyone was more happier about her being a little more attractive compared to her actual accomplishments.</p><p>The Company was run by a bunch of old men who didn't understand how to even change a diaper for their wives, though, so this was expected. She was hoping to rank up and take over, to change the Company and drive the sexism and racism out, yet she didn't realize how difficult that would be looking at them now.</p><p>She hated them, every single one of them.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>"So, Mal, we've noticed your sudden change of performance today."</p><p>Sans nervously fiddled with the bottom of his seat, praying to the lord that Mal would suddenly float through the wall. Two of her Bosses were here, and Sans didn't know their names. Hopefully it didn't come up.</p><p>"Well, I've just done the same stuff I've done everyday," Sans said.</p><p>"No, no, you're different today," The woman said, "We can see you've changed your attitude. You're much more productive now."</p><p>No he wasn't. If anything, Sans was a bit slower because he had to wait for Mal to explain how to do something before he did it himself. What was with this?</p><p>Where was Mal? He really, really needed her right now!</p><p>"We'd like to offer you a position at Corporate," One of the people said.</p><p>What? Sans perked up, watching them with a surprised expression. Mal told him about that, about how much she wanted to rank up. And it was happening now? Right after she died?</p><p>"Well, I don't know what to say!" Sans said, smiling at them.</p><p>Where was Mal when he really needed her? Like right now, when her dreams were becoming real! What should he say? He didn't know how to act like Mal without Mal being there!</p><p>"However, you will have to adjust to some changes," The man said, "Such as... Well, you're clothes."</p><p>"My clothes?" Sans asked, "What about them?"</p><p>"They're not... well, they're good for a Manager, but for someone to work at Corporate, you'll have to change," The woman said, "Make up, high heels... Like my clothes."</p><p>Her clothes. The shirt that was really hugging her body? The skirt that was kind of really short? Her makeup that definitely took a good amount of time to do? What?</p><p>"You're joking, right?" Sans asked.</p><p>"No," The man said, "You have to present yourself to everyone else, and you should remain profess-"</p><p>"I quit."</p><p>Sans was so done with this crap that he was seriously debating jumping over the desk and strangling them. As a man, he's never seen this dealt with before. Why was a woman suddenly needing to change her dress code to show more to be 'professional', while the men didn't? What was this? Why were they acting this way?</p><p>And wasn't it weird how they offered a promotion right after she become hotter?</p><p>It was as if the two realized just how valuable Mal was as an employee, as their faces became extremely pale immediately. Sans saw the resorts and financial status on the computer, he knew Mal was a fantastic leader. Without her, the Company would probably crumble pretty fast for losing her profits.</p><p>If they had given her a promotion when she deserved it long ago, the Company probably would have been so much better off. She could have organized funding and money from the top, reorganize everything, make it work. That's why she had been pining to get this promotion, so she could make the changes the Company needed. Just from the time of Sans being in the hospital and recovering, they had lost a lot of revenue from Mal's absence.</p><p>"What?" They both said, almost as pale as Sans.</p><p>"Nope," Sans said, standing up. "Find someone else to be your eye candy. I quit."</p><p>"But I'm sure we can-"</p><p>"I said no," Sans said, giving them his old Sans grin. "Have fun trying to keep the company afloat without me, f*ckers. Bye."</p><p>He was speaking for Mal by saying that, but for them to treat her that way was insulting to Sans. She was an incredibly talented woman, she deserved this raise. What she didn't deserve was to get it by her looks, and she definitely didn't deserve to get told she'd have to dress more revealing to get it.</p><p>With that, Sans was gone, leaving the two to realize they might have lost their best employee.</p><p>Sans would have simply left entirely, as Mal had nothing of hers in her office, but he made one pit stop. The kitchen, where Mal was, floating as she listened to her employees.</p><p>"Oh, hello Mal!" They all said when he walked in.</p><p>"Hey," Sans said cheerfully.</p><p>"So Mal," One of the guys said, "I was thinking we should both go and-"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"No?"</p><p>Sans pulled open the fridge, pulling out the container of food he had brought for his lunch. "No thanks. Not interested in whatever you have to say."</p><p>"Isn't your lunch in twenty minutes?" A girl asked.</p><p>"Oh, yeah, it is," Sans said, looking at them. "But I quit, so you all can go to hell."</p><p>Everyone fell silent as Sans flipped them off, hugging his container under his arm and turning to leave for good. Mal followed, one of the biggest smiles she's ever had on her face.</p><p>So they left, like that. Sans messily eating the food as he walked, flipping off every single of her stupid sexist workers that he passed. Mal floated behind him, watching him like a proud friend.</p><p>"I hate that you're hot," Mal said, laying an arm across his shoulders.</p><p>"Me too," Sans said, smiling at her.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 10 - Period</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This was it. This was Sans' new life, his new beginning. Both him and Mal could abandon the past and move on. Sure, this wasn't exactly an ideal life, with Sans being stuck in a new body and Mal never able to talk to anyone but him, but it was better then being dead.</p><p>It was unusual how Mal was somehow, despite meeting in the weirdest way, already Sans' closest friend. Even if the encounter with the bar and his old house never happened, Sans would still run and point to Mal when questioned about who his best friend was. She was fantastic!</p><p>Sans really wasn't lying. Her determined and persevering attitude really was the opposite of Sans', who never felt like he could get anything done. In the end, it helped, because she constantly dragged him out of the dirt and forced him to do things. Mal was there for him, and she helped him through the worst. She was his best friend, if she hadn't been there for him throughout all of this, he doubted he would have made it. Mal reminded Sans of Undyne a bit, but without the whole "let me surplex everything I see and beat the crap out of everyone who I deem an opponent" part. Mal did work out, as Sans found out he could easily lift heavy things compared to before, but she never picked fights. Her strengths were in her hard working attitude and she was a brilliant multitasker. Honestly, she was impressive. Sometimes she did get too far into her work or planning that Sans had to drag her back, just like she did him, by forcing her to relax. They were perfect foils to one another that brought out each other's best. Mal wasn't fantastic at giving nice words, but she was honest, and Sans really needed that.</p><p>The apartment did need some changes, though. First off, the grape soda. Sans didn't like grape soda, Mal adored it. They had broken out into a heated argument over it, that had settled in Sans ultimately throwing it all out. He wasn't going to drink it, and Mal couldn't. Instead, it was replaced with ketchup.</p><p>If they were going to be stuck like this for awhile, which was very likely, they would have to adapt. Sans was doing fine already, but he wasn't prepared for the long run.</p><p>What was he going to do for a job? He was in Mal's body, he had her qualifications, but his own skills didn't match those. He couldn't sit there all day and just repeat what she said, that wouldn't be a good life for either of them. This was supposed to be a new start, and being Mal wouldn't be good for Sans. He didn't want to be her, he wanted to be himself. Not to mention the biggest issue of how Mal was going to deal with becoming lonely. Sure, she could talk to Sans, but no one else could see her. Once the hype from the change settle down into a normal life, she'd grow lonely. Sans couldn't talk to her all day, and she'd want to talk to more people.</p><p>And what about her family? Surely they'd message soon enough, and Sans wasn't sure how to respond. Technically, Mal was dead. Would it even be fair to lead on her family, her sister, by pretending to be her? Or would it be better if he just ghosted them?</p><p>Did they even deserve to know, in the end? Sans wasn't telling Papyrus he was still alive, and Mal said her parents were just as bad.</p><p>Greed. That was another thing they both were familiar with. Her parents were just as greedy as his old friends, yet Mal was able to distance herself while Sans simply never noticed. He was so ignorant, wasn't he? So desperate for love and attention that he'd willingly ignore the glaring red signs around him just to get that.</p><p>Sans was vulnerable emotionally. Mal was vulnerable by overworking herself.</p><p>They really were meant for each other as best friends, weren't they?</p><p>There was one thing Sans was not prepared for, though.</p><p><em>Periods</em>.</p><p>Funny thing about skeletons, they didn't understand periods. Sans barely even knew about them, periods had been mentioned briefly by Undyne and Toriel before, but those moments were fleeting. Gone in the next instant, moving on.</p><p>Sans had fallen out of bed, an unbearable pain building in his gut. Was he stabbed in the back <em>again</em>? Why was the pain focused on his back? Why did everything hurt?</p><p>Oh no, there was blood. It had stained the bed and between his legs, the once green colored shorts stained at the crotch. Sans fell against the carpeted floor, fibers digging into his face as he groaned.</p><p>"M-Mal! I think I got s-stabbed again!" Sans wheezed, awkwardly reaching out to grab at his back where it hurt.</p><p>Mal was quick, worry flashing across their connected souls as she barged in, hurrying to his side. "Oh my gosh, are you alri- Oh."</p><p>"Mal, I'm dying! Call- ugh, f*ck," Sans muttered, curling in on himself as he tried to get up, but failed. "Y-You can't call the police, f*ck, I gotta- f*ck f*ck-" He flopped back against the ground in pain. "I am dying, everything hurts!"</p><p>"No, uh, Sans," Mal said, almost snorting into her hand that was pressed against her mouth to hide her giggles.</p><p>"Oh Toby Fox, I needa c-call the police," Sans wheezed, pressing a shaky hand against the top of her nightstand to pull himself up.</p><p>"No, Sans, you don't need to-"</p><p>Sans crashed back down before she finished, groaning from the pain. Everything in his pelvic area hurt, he was pretty sure he was dying. Again. Sans managed to roll onto his back, squinting up at the human ghost that floated above him.</p><p>"Toby Fox, this position is so much f*cking worse!" Sans swore.</p><p>Mal looked like she might burst out laughing. "Don't call the police, Sans. You're just on your period. Or, my period."</p><p>"<em>What</em>."</p><p>This time, Mal couldn't hold back her laugh. She forced herself to chew on her nail to be able to coherently talk to him before she would lose it in a fit of more giggles. "Period. That's why there's blood, it probably got heavy last night."</p><p>"Period?"</p><p>Sans had to piece together his brain through the pain before he finally remembered what it was. So the trapped male looked, wide eyed, at his friend, much more terrified than he was earlier. Mal lost it, pressing her hands against her face as she become nothing but a mess of snorts and laughter.</p><p>Once she calmed down, she pushed back her hair. Sans looked like he was going to melt into the floor and just die. Sans certainly did feel like that.</p><p>"This is a period?" Sans groaned, turning onto his side. "This is what girls go through every year?"</p><p>"Once a month," Mal fixed.</p><p>"Once a-" Sans almost threw up, "-Month? As in, you have a period day once a month? Every single month? Does God hate you guys or something?"</p><p>"We have it once a week, once a month," Mal said.</p><p>"A-And like, every single girl goes through it for most of their lives?" Sans asked, "Undyne and Alphys went through this s-sh*t every single month while doing their jobs?"</p><p>"I'd say so, yeah," Mal said.</p><p>Sans turned against the floor, using his head as leverage. "I think I suddenly became a feminist."</p><p>With yet another groan, he managed to push himself up into a sitting position, looking so tired and pained just from that progress alone. </p><p>"Are you saying you weren't a feminist before?" Mal asked.</p><p>"I was before, but- oh f*ck, ow ow," Sans muttered, closing his eyes. "I meant I'm going to start being way more f*cking vocal about it now, guys got it wrong for who can deal with pain. F*cking hell, I wanna go back to being a dude. Right now, please."</p><p>"Don't be so dramatic, it's just a period, Sans."</p><p>Sans looked at her like she just said something horrid.</p><p>"Girls go through it every month, it sucks, but we get used to it," Mal said, floating next to him. "It's not that bad."</p><p>"Not bad? Not bad?" Sans said, hugging his arms tightly around his gut. "This is as bad as getting stabbed, period. Pun f*cking intended because I am actually dying."</p><p>"Come on you baby, I know some stuff that can help," Mal said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Medicine won't, but I know the first day or two are the worse. Let's get you to the bathroom to clean up."</p><p>It was a hobbled trip to the bathroom, as Sans was not used to pain in his gut at all. Humans were stupid and dumb, just as were periods.</p><p>"So you guys have to get periods for reproductive sh*t?" Sans asked, plopping himself onto the bathroom floor.</p><p>"Yeah," Mal explained, "Basically, to be quick, it deals with eggs. We produce eggs, and those eggs aren't used, which means we don't become pregnant, then we lose blood. If we do get pregnant, no periods, but there's a lot more problems that replace it. That's why girls freak out when we miss our periods."</p><p>"So just because you don't get pregnant, you lose blood? Is your body trying to attack you or something? Is it a death threat?"</p><p>"No, the blood is like a protective lining for a baby if we do have one. We produce an egg and keep it for a month, but if it isn't used, our bodies get rid of the blood and egg, then produce more. Keeps things interesting, especially when wearing white underwear or pants."</p><p>"Girl's bodies are so stupid and dumb. Just don't produce the egg the blood for support until the egg is already becoming a baby, then drop the egg when you p*ss or something. I hate everything about this body."</p><p>"You can't pee out- Sans, no," Mal said, "Just open the drawer, you have to stop the flow of blood so you don't make a mess."</p><p>"Don't pads go like on the, well, you know, opening?" Sans asked, "I don't wanna stick like a lid on that for what I have to go to the bathroom later."</p><p>"What? No, it sticks to your underwear, not onto your actual- oh my gosh," Mal snorted.</p><p>"So I grab a pad, then? Are these it?"</p><p>"Well, um Sans... I don't have any <em>pads</em>."</p><p>Sans pulled out the box, looking down at the front.</p><p>There, in bright pink words, red the word 'Tampons'.</p><p>"Oh, f*ck me," Sans muttered.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>After that whole experience a few days ago, his period did settle down. It didn't hurt now. Sure, there was still blood, but the cramps were gone. Once it came back out of nowhere, having surprised him. Periods were like a constant stalker with a knife. Sudden at first, but quieted into the background, sometimes popping up randomly. At least Sans managed to buy pads. Tampons were a no go for him. No thank you. After a few days, when he stopped seeing blood, Sans had excitedly thought his period was over, ready to take off the pad and be done with it. Instead Mal had grabbed his shoulders, giving him a firm "Don't do it". She was right, there was more blood later.</p><p>At least Sans could walk around now without dropping to the ground like a dead fish. Periods were no fun. Seriously, girls had to handle that every single month for a full week with constant blood and agony? Haha, no. If a girl ever complained about a period, he would absolutely not doubt it. Periods were dumb, and being a skeleton sounded so much better.</p><p>Ruffling from clothing sounded as Sans pulled out another skirt, inspecting the fabric. With the new life came a new change of clothes, and surprisingly, Sans was willing to embrace that. Girls didn't have to wear girly clothes, but he actually found himself willing to. Sans never considered trying out girls clothes, and now that he has a chance, he's going to take full advantage of it.</p><p>Sans looked online for girl clothing ideas, but he was quickly swamped with big fashion trends and some famous guy who made lots of clothing. He was just looking for some cute girl clothes, not some famous fashion designer. Mal's sister used to be into fashion, apparently.</p><p>The phone in his pocket buzzed, making both him and Mal snap their heads down towards it. No one ever texted her. That was weird.</p><p>Pulling it out, Sans inspected the sender.</p><p>"It's your Mom," Sans said.</p><p>Mal visibly gagged.</p><p>Unable to help his curiosity, Sans clicked on the message. It was a bit of a long one, longer than he ever sent. Sans was too lazy to text that many words.</p><p>Mom: '<em>Malerie, honey, I'm not sure if you know this, but your Uncle Johnny has just passed away. I know you two were somewhat close when you were younger, and his funeral is going to be a tomorrow if you'd like to come down. I know you said not to text you anymore, but we're going to be reading his will. Your sister is going to be there! I love you so much sweetie, can't wait to see you!</em>'</p><p>"Uncle Johnny died?" Mal asked.</p><p>"Were you two close?" Sans asked her.</p><p>"I... well, when we were younger, he sometimes visited," Mal explained, "I liked him as a kid, he was the only family member who had a brain. Never fell for my families tricks, he never gave them any money. He was a hard worker, I liked that about him."</p><p>"Do you want me to go so you can say goodbye?"</p><p>Mal looked over, a look of horror spreading across. "No, no, don't. My family is a nightmare."</p><p>"Well so was mine, apparently," Sans said, "And I'm sure I can handle them."</p><p>With a determined look to let his friend say goodbye to her Uncle, he started typing.</p><p>Mal: '<em>I'll be there.</em>'</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. More Pictures</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> I do have more character pictures to show ya, so here we go!</p><p>        </p><p>        </p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 11 - The Funeral (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The gentle undertone of wind carried itself across the crowded parking lot, each car creating an obstacle for the wind to wrap around. Thick white hair tumbled in the breeze, picking up in one bunch before finally settling down onto his shoulders again. Despite the abundance of cars crowding the parking lot, it was rather void of people. Except for a trail of smoke, dribbling up into the sky before dispersing. It looked to be coming from the front door of the building, where the funeral and will reading was being held.</p><p>Which was weird, why was the will being read at the funeral? Sans didn't know much about human funerals, as a monster himself, but he was pretty sure one wouldn't be done in front of everyone while the funeral was going on. That'd be like Papyrus using one hand to spread Sans' dust while the other held his will, reading it to everyone in the room.</p><p>Or, used one hand to throw away his dust, apparently.</p><p>Sans liked to lie to himself and say he was over it, but he wasn't. Sans wasn't a guy who forgot quickly, things stuck with him. Maybe it'd take a few months to truly get over this, but even then, he'd never forget. Mal really was helpful for this, her soul reassuring his. Sans had since moved on, thanks to her, but forgiving was something that would take awhile, and forgetting was, well, impossible. Forgetting may not be possible, but having a new life was.</p><p>Even if Sans was using Mal's body to achieve that new life, he was willing to pretend to be her so she could see her Uncle off. It wasn't fair for him to lock her away by his own simple desires, to not let her attend the funeral for the only parental figure she's ever loved.</p><p>Sans only had a snippet of what her parents were like, and he had a feeling he was going to be in for a treat. Mal's left message to them was a threatened restraining order if they ever messaged her or tried to find her again, and knowing Mal, it was for a very good reason that she'd cut them entirely out of her life.</p><p>Oh boy, what was he getting himself into?</p><p>Approaching the door, Sans pulled the black covered jacket closer to his skin. Ever since the whole work incident, he's decided to dress himself in even more clothing to hide himself. The skirts he purchased were all ankle length, and he had plenty of thick hoodies and jackets to cover his top. So there Sans was, wearing a thick black jacket and plain black skirt that almost looked like a dress. Black flats clicked against the sidewalk as he walked, sometimes falling back. Sans tried high heels, he barely made it a few feet before he was stumbling.</p><p>Even with the additions, he still somehow looked attractive. It was stupidly annoying, seriously. His white skin looked good with any clothes, and his thick pale hair seamlessly meshed with a lot of outfits. He let it flop back against his back, no sort of decoration or anything to style it. Sans didn't know how, and when Mal tried to put his hair up, he squirmed the entire way until he slipped off of the chair onto the floor, then rolled away to escape the horrid hairband.</p><p>The biggest problem by far was Sans' eyes. Big and bright blue, they practically sparkled, sucking in everyone nearby to gaze at him. It would be nice to not be reminded how amazing he was by everyone, it somehow made Sans feel worse. He never was treated this way before, and now that he was, it made him feel...</p><p>Well, like he cheated. This wasn't his body, he didn't do anything to make it beautiful. Sans put in no effort, no work. There was so many girls out there that struggled with their looks, yet somehow Sans was finding his own were effortlessly attracting everyone just by the magical alterations on her. No work was done, it just happened. It wasn't fair, Sans didn't want it, he didn't deserve it. Looking at it made him feel worse, like he was somehow abusing the system. Not to mention he hated the attention that came with it. People weren't looking at him, they were looking at a pretty faced girl. That wasn't Sans.</p><p>Nevermind all of that. Sans was shaken out of his thoughts when he noticed the person who was smoking. They looked to be young, probably just fresh out of high school, or in their first year of college. A cigarette hung between their lips, the boys expression bored. He hasn't noticed Sans yet, his gaze focused ahead.</p><p>Pushing the sunglasses on his nose up, Sans continued forward. Mal had given him a brief rundown of the basics. She had a sister, Mom, and Dad. She didn't call either of her parents by their parental titles, she used their names. Basically, what he was warned about was not to give any of them any money no matter what, and that he shouldn't bring his wallet or anything valuable that could be pickpocketed.</p><p>So... yeah, this was going to be interesting.</p><p>"That's cousin Terry. He was last arrested for managing to snag at least a few thousand dollars from this old couple who ran a cupcake business."</p><p>Yup.</p><p>Sans actually wasn't new to people like this. As a young boy wondering the streets, alone, homeless, with a baby, he saw other kids just like him. Orphaned from the war they all roamed, sometimes forming little groups of friends just to survive the new environment. You picked up a few skills after dealing with that environment.</p><p>After growing up on the streets, Sans did acquire some skills. Different faces to manipulate others were easier and easier each day that passed, and lies dripped from his tongue like a broken faucet. It wansn't new to see a teenager smoking, or hear about him getting money. When times were tough, children got desperate.</p><p>"Mal?"</p><p>The teenager looked utterly confused, squinting his eyes as smoke wavered out of his mouth. Without his attention to hold it steady, the cigarette slipped between his fingers, dropping to the sidewalk. He silently cursed and stomped on it as Sans approached.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm here Terry," Sans said, making sure the sunglasses were firmly on his nose.</p><p>Wearing sunglasses was unusual for him, but he was trying to make himself as unattractive as possible. In and out. Get Mal in, let her mourn, talk a bit, then drive away. It was already difficult enough to handle the hair and skin, but the eyes should stay hidden. And with the thick, covering clothes, he looked significantly more normal. Just like Mal got paler and dyed her hair, not like a model.</p><p>But he still looked somewhat attractive, and different enough to cause that reaction. Darn it.</p><p>"And before you ask," Sans said, "I'm not going to give you any money."</p><p>Terry made a clicking sound out of annoyance, but eyed her new appearance slightly. Likely out of confusion. Either way, it had been years since Mal last was seen by anyone in her family, so the change of appearance was shocking, sure. It was a good enough excuse.</p><p>"Yeah, I dyed my hair," Sans said, placing a hand on his hip. "You going to keep staring, or should we go inside?"</p><p>Pretending to be Mal was admittedly fun. She was quick and harsh, and it was fun to watch people retreat under her words. Sans didn't quite have her same effect, his voice was more softer and lulling compared to her dominating tone, but he worked with it.</p><p>"Why did you dye your hair?" Terry asked, "You never do? And what's with the sunglasses? We're at a funeral, and it's cloudy out today. I have no idea what you're doing."</p><p>"I didn't come here to make smalltalk with you, I came for a funeral, so stop smoking and let's go inside."</p><p>That worked. The two stepped inside, Sans adjusting his hair. It was a church they had decided to hold the funeral at, a large cross on a wall. Sure did feel like a church.</p><p>And the very first sight he saw was a child, no bigger than 8 or 9, grabbing a bunch of candy bars from an open basket and shoving them into his pockets. There was a box placed next to the baskets with the words '$1 for 1' written on it, a slot on the top meant for payment of the now stolen candy. The box was already tipped on its side, the money inside being counted by another teenager before it was slipped into her pocket. A man was picking up a expensive looking church vase and just carrying it away like he owned it.</p><p>This poor church, they were being picked dry by Mal's family.</p><p>"At least they didn't steal the chandelier this time," Mal said, looking up. "But I told you so."</p><p>Yes, she did tell him so. Sans should have heeded her warning better. What was this? Why were they stealing everything? From a church, too! Sans wasn't too religious, he believed in Toby Fox like the rest of the monster population, but he didn't go to church or anything. Still, he knew that the one place you didn't pick bone dry was a freaking church, during a funeral.</p><p>And Sans <em>just </em>entered the building, how worse was this going to get?</p><p>Two adults were near a corner, quietly talking amongst themselves. Everyone was wearing black at least, that was good. They understood how to be somewhat respectful.</p><p>Except for the adults in the corner were bragging about who would be getting their shares of the will, and the child who was just stealing candy now was opening several and eating them all, causing a horde of crumbs to drop and scramble across the carpet, as if to see which candy bar could cause the most mess. The person who was just carrying the expensive vase almost dropped it, mumbling to themselves about the price value as they fixed their grip.</p><p>Sans smacked away a hand that was trying to reach into his pocket, likely going for his wallet. Thankfully, his training on the streets made him used to other kids trying to pull that stunt, so he was already shoving Terry away before he even realized he didn't bring a wallet or anything. All Sans brought was his keys, that were safely tucked on the inside of his jacket. He knew the safest place to keep items, experience taught him inside of the jacket was the hardest to reach, and awkward to make natural.</p><p>Okay, maybe Sans could make this quick. Mal could quickly go float off and say her goodbyes, and Sans could hide in the girls bathroom while she did. Once she was done, they could leave, he wouldn't have to talk to any of her family and-</p><p>"Malerie, sweetie!"</p><p>Oh darn it.</p><p>There was Mal's parents, approaching him. Sans recognized Mal's Mother from her memory, but she did look rather older. Age had taken her down slightly, but she still looked nice for her age. Her cheekbones were defined, with soft brown hair pulled into a side ponytail. An eloquent black dress wrapped around her, draping down like curtains. Before Sans could even get out a word, she was wrapping her arms around him, squeezing him closely.</p><p>"I'm so glad you came, sweetie!" The woman squeezed tighter before letting go, pushing back to get a good look at his human face. "You've grown up so much! I was so sad when you never talked to us, how could you treat us that way, Malerie?"</p><p>"Just call me Mal please, Mom." Sans desperately wanted to pull her hands off of his shoulders, and calling her Mom felt so weird and wrong.</p><p>"Why are you wearing sunglasses, Malerie? And cheap ones at that?" Mal's Mother said, her hands grasping onto Sans' sunglasses before he could stop her.</p><p>"Wait, don't-"</p><p>But it was too late, as his protective layer for his eyes was ripped clean off. Mal's Mom looked like she was going to say something, but stuttered into nothing like a broken engine when their eyes locked.</p><p>He barely even got five minutes in before his sunglasses were already off! Come on!</p><p>"Mal- oh," Her Father said, stopping next to her Mother.</p><p>Mal's Father looked rather different than her Mother. With thick blond, ragged hair, and piercing green eyes that matched Mal's, he stared at her with surprise. It was a different enough change with the hair and the skin, but the eyes sealed the package. A few of her other family members had caught sight and joined in, looking at Sans in ways he really did not want them to be looking.</p><p>"So um... you dyed your hair..." He said.</p><p>"Yeah, and got some new contacts..." Sans lied, reaching for his sunglasses. "They changed my eye color..."</p><p>Mal's Mother was too fast, already ripping them away from him. "You look so beautiful, Malerie! You get it from me, of course." She folded up the sunglasses and threw them away into a nearby trashcan. "And you aren't allowed to hide that from us! If you didn't want everyone to stare, you shouldn't have gotten pretty! Just desperate to be like your Mother, huh?"</p><p>Yup. That's just about how Sans expected her to react. Unhappy and petty about it. What a great family Mal had.</p><p>"Aren't you excited to read the will, Malerie?" Mal's Father asked.</p><p>"Will? Excited?" Sans asked.</p><p>"It is a shame your Uncle died, sure," His Mother recovered from the petty reaction, wrapping a hand around her shoulder. "But let's look at the bright side! Since you two were close, there's no doubt that he's going to give us a big hunk of cash!"</p><p>Yup, gold digger. Each and every one of her family. All desperate for money, for material possessions. How did his best friend come from this dump of a woman?</p><p>"Holy sh*t, Mal?"</p><p>And there, standing next to Mal's Father, was Mal's sister. Amber, as Mal had told him. A young teenager, Mal had told him she was 15, with thick brown hair. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, and a plain black, baggy dress was worn. The girl looked tired, as if she had stayed up all night doing something. Her nails were chewed short, and she had little snippets of cuts on her worn and used fingers. Sans recognized that look, she was someone who liked to create. A crafter of sorts.</p><p>"Um, hi," Sans said, giving an awkward wave.</p><p>Yeah, this was awkward. Extremely awkward. Sans had to pretend to be someone he wasn't, and meet a bunch of people he wasn't even related to, but pretend like he was. He gave a quick look around for Mal, but silently cursed as he found she had long since left.</p><p>It was fine. Sans knew Mal, he knew how to be here. And they hadn't seen Mal in years, she could have changed in that time. Her family didn't, apparently, as her description of them was rather spot on.</p><p>"I gotta go pee," Amber told her Mom, turning towards her.</p><p>"Amber, don't use that language! A lady never says she has to pee," Her mom said.</p><p>"Fine, I need to take a massive sh*t," Amber corrected, making a face at her Mom. "There."</p><p>Sans had a feeling he was going to like this kid.</p><p>The woman rolled her eyes as her daughter latched a hand onto Sans' arm, dragging him away. Wait, he didn't have to go to the bathroom, why was she taking him? He hated going to the bathroom!</p><p>Oh, was this that thing were girls all went to the bathroom together when just one had to? Sans had noticed Alphys and Undyne did that often, but he always assumed they were doing...</p><p>Ahem, different <em>things</em>.</p><p>But the way Amber treated him was harsh. Her fingers dug into his flesh as she dragged him towards the church bathroom, practically shoving him inside. His back hit the wall after his stumble, making him press back against it from surprise.</p><p>Mal had said Amber was the only good one! Why was Amber treating her sister this way?</p><p>"You." Amber jabbed a pointed finger towards Sans.</p><p>"Me?" Sans clarified.</p><p>Was he about to get beaten up by a 15 year old?</p><p>Amber paused, closing the bathroom door before she ducked, checking under all of the bathroom stalls for feet. Once she deemed the bathroom safe, she turned back towards him.</p><p>"Who are you?"</p><p>Sans blinked, surprised. "What do you..."</p><p>"There's no way on earth that Mal would ever just stutter off a sentence, and there's so way she'd let Mom say all of those things without at least retorting back!" Amber said, walking towards him. "And I know to hell that Mal would never just let them call her Malerie, or that she'd ever dye her hair or go pale. You're not Mal."</p><p>She stopped in front of Sans, her finger jabbing against his chest.</p><p>"Who are you?"</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 12 - The Funeral (Part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So your real name is Sans...?"</p><p>"Yup."</p><p>Just as empty as before, the two lone humans stood inside of the bathroom. Sans had given up standing entirely, the sudden scare of his identity being thrown out having caused him to sink to the floor. The jacket hung over the sink, taken off without any need. Amber still remained standing, hands tapping against her arms as she leaned against a wall.</p><p>Eyes more chocolate than a candy bar looked over at the turned skeleton, her face twisting with surprise and an odd hint of amusement. "Okay, holy sh*t, I was not expecting that."</p><p>"What?" Sans asked, squinting at her. "You figured out I wasn't your real sister in under a minute, what do you mean?"</p><p>"I didn't know what to expect, I mean, but I didn't expect to find out my sister actually died and some skeleton took her body!" Amber said, pointing at him. "I'm smart but stupid as hell."</p><p>"Aren't we all?"</p><p>They sat in silence for a moment, Amber shifting on her feet.</p><p>"Okay, okay," Amber said, "Just... I need a moment. Okay, you're... okay."</p><p>"Yes, I'm okay," Sans snorted.</p><p>"Shut up," Amber said, "I just... okay, yeah, I'm shutting down. My brain is actually decaying now."</p><p>Amber stilled her fingers, paused entirely, then started to frantically tap them against her folded arms again. Maybe Amber was right when she said she was both smart and stupid, in a weird sense. She was able to figure out that Sans wasn't Mal, but once she came to that conclusion, she had no idea how to follow.</p><p>If anything, it was their parents and family that probably caused Mal and Amber to be this way. Both saw through bullsh*t quickly, and were firm against others. It was just that Mal knew how to react and respond quickly, and while Amber was quick, she didn't anticipate how to respond to an actual confession. Mal had mentioned that about her. Amber was good at figuring things out, and Mal actually warned him that she might catch onto them, but she wasn't exactly good at moving on past that. Like right now, Amber had known that Sans wasn't Mal, but she wasn't prepared to actually get the news and respond effectively.</p><p>Amber's hands started to catch his eye as she moved them in the air, as if she was knitting of sewing something, perhaps a nervous tick of hers? It was her coping mechanism it seemed, as she was calming herself down.</p><p>"So, you and Mal both died, but you got stuck in her body?" She said.</p><p>"Yeah, we were both supposed to die, but our souls kept each other alive," Sans said, "So I can see her as a ghost."</p><p>"I... okay, yeah, I'm getting it now," Amber said, "I'm not good at understanding science or magic at all, but... yeah, I think I'm getting it now. My big question is just why you'd fake being her to come here of all places. To a family reunion. With our family. As in, our parents being in the same room with you."</p><p>"For Mal, so she could see off her Uncle," Sans said, "Were you close with him too?"</p><p>"Not really, not compared to Mal," Amber said, "Our Uncle wasn't allowed to come over much because he was a 'bad influence' on Mal, and they didn't want me to turn out like her."</p><p>"To turn out like her?" Sans asked.</p><p>Amber nodded. "They don't really like how either of us turned out. Mal was a bit too smart, she saw through their crap all the time and never gave them any of the money she earned. They always got into fights, and when they stopped letting Mal drive their cars to go to her work, she just walked there. Then she moved out, got a good paying job, and when she didn't even send any money back, they blamed it all on our Uncle. Said he was the reason she didn't care about family." She stopped her fake knitting, fixing her hair. "But now that he's dead, they're acting all sad now, like they were close and best friends. They just want his cash, really. He was the only one in the family that had a few screws right in his head, but he was getting really old. He still visited sometimes, and brought me some fabric to hide from my parents."</p><p>"That's nice," Sans said, "Sorry about your loss. It sucks to see a good man go."</p><p>"It was coming, when he started having a hard time moving more I realized he didn't have much longer," Amber said, "We weren't great buds since they never let him come over often, but he really was the only adult in the family other than Mal who understood money and didn't take it from others."</p><p>"Ah."</p><p>Sans tilted back and looked at the pale white ceiling, admiring the swirls that decorated the top. After a moment he settled back down, looking at Amber.</p><p>"You know, Mal was worried about you."</p><p>Amber snorted, looking to the side. "You don't need to pull anything like that. I get it, this is just a quick stop, then you're out again."</p><p>"Seriously, she said she wanted me to keep you safe from your parents." Sans gently stood up, letting his hair that had bundled against the wall eloquently fall against his back. "I might not be Mal, but I'm her friend. Not to mention our souls are kind of bound together, so I feel everything she does. We know a skele-ton about each other."</p><p>There was a moment before she caught onto the joke, turning towards him with a face of utter annoyance. "Oh no."</p><p>Sans gave a large grin. "Oh yes."</p><p>At his smile Amber had cracked, giving off her own smile as she giggled into her hand. "You're so weird," Amber said, "But um... Mal really did care about me?"</p><p>"Of course, she's your sister," Sans said, giving her a smile. "She does love you, you know Mal doesn't lie."</p><p>"I... yeah, I know." Amber rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "It's just become harder and harder to believe, recently."</p><p>For a moment, Sans almost saw himself standing there in her place. With that same sentence rolling off of his tongue, as he held his own thrown away dust in his hands.</p><p>Now that Sans thought about it, Amber was in a really tight spot. Mal had her Uncle to support her, much less her unbreakable stubbornness and never ending can-do attitude. Those encouraged her, and with how smart and quick she was, Mal was able to adapt and leave her parents before they could adjust, and start her own life without them negatively impacting her. However, Amber didn't have that. She didn't seem to have any massive goals to keep her working, and because her Uncle was restricted by her parents, she had no support. After Mal left, she was probably alone, stuck with her terrible parents, unable to escape with her age. And without Mal contacting her for awhile, she'd start to crack down under her parents pressure.</p><p>Sans understood that feeling. While he had Papyrus there most of his life, there was a time before that he didn't. Sans could remember the cold tiles of the lab under his bare feet, the weight of needles only challenged by the weight of his eye sockets, and the soft buzzing of loneliness that crept into his mind late at night. That same buzz had appeared when he stood on that sidewalk outside of his house, but it was much louder, overpowering his mind and soul until everything had gone blank. Mal, though, had been there. She dragged him back down, kept him grounded, helped him through it.</p><p>What would have happened if she hadn't been there?</p><p>Sans didn't want to know. He really didn't.</p><p>"Kid."</p><p>With that word to draw attention, he walked towards Amber.</p><p>"I'm not Mal, and I'm not a girl or your sister," Sans said, "I'm just a guy who got stuck in your sisters body. I don't know you, but I know Mal. She cares about you a lot, she really does."</p><p>He rested his hands on her shoulders, letting her look up to him softly.</p><p>"I know because I have a younger brother," Sans said, "And I know how it feels. To do everything for them, to be worried sick about them even when you're on your own deathbed." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Mal was working so hard those weeks for both herself and you. She was waiting for you to turn 18 because she wanted to help you get as far away from them as possible without any chances for them to sabotage it. I don't know you, but I can tell you're a good kid, and that Mal really does care about you. She might be stuck as a ghost for now, but when you turn 18, I'm going to follow through with that. Your parents suck, and I'm going to help you get out of there as much as I can. You aren't alone, Amber. We're both here for you."</p><p>Her eyes blinked once, then twice, analyzing Sans' face. With a sigh, Amber fell back against the wall. "Yeah, and how do you know that?"</p><p>"Mal got away from her parents, didn't she?" Sans asked, "And you guys aren't the only ones with abusive parents."</p><p>"They aren't abusive, they don't hit us."</p><p>"Abuse doesn't just mean physical. They manipulate you guys and other people, they try to control you, to steal your money and your belongings. Just because someone doesn't physically hurt you doesn't mean they don't mentally. I wish I had known that when I was younger, don't make the mistake I did, kiddo. You don't have to feel trapped, you have openings and opportunities. They may be your parents, but in the end, it's your body and your choice."</p><p>"They are sh*tty," Amber agreed quietly.</p><p>"Oh Toby Fox, so sh*tty," Sans said, "And what you did earlier by fighting back with that reply? Keep doing that, don't give up. The moment you give into their whims, they win."</p><p>"I know, it's just become so much harder lately," Amber said, "I haven't been able to make clothes in weeks, and school isn't going very well. And without Mal talking to me... I dunno, I guess everything sort of fell down. And I hate that I'm telling you all of this because you look like my dumb sister. Stop that."</p><p>"Nah, I can't," Sans said, winking at her. "But hey, I'm always here to talk to, and so is Mal. Seriously, your sister is really good at talking to, she calmed me down when my family wasn't so great either. You're doing great, and keep fighting, because I'm going to get you out of there. Mal and I are going to help you. I promise."</p><p>Amber nodded, closing her eyes with a sigh. "Okay. Since you promised."</p><p>"I think we should head out, though, before they look for us and find out I'm a skeleton and not your sister. I think you should stick by me, though, since your family is crazy. I've seen their type, I know how to handle them." Sans took a step back, moving to collect his jacket. "C'mon kid, your Uncle still deserves a decent funeral."</p><p>Once Sans secured his jacket back on, he made his way back to the door. However, he was stopped when Amber asked one last thing.</p><p>"Hey, um... you said you have a brother," Amber said, "What happened to him? And what about your parents?"</p><p>Sans turned back to her, giving a gentle look of understanding. "Maybe one day, but... just not right now. Let's go, kid."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>They already buried the body.</p><p>Sans and Amber had been in the bathroom for under ten minutes, and the body was already buried during that time.</p><p>Seriously?</p><p>That was beyond petty, that was outrageous. Apparently Mal's Mom had someone convinced the people running the funeral to bury the body while Sans was in the bathroom, so the only two people who had somewhat decent relationships with the man at the funeral didn't get to see him get buried. Sans and Amber had wondered around a bit before they had found a window and saw his casket getting lowered. They had started the moment the two disappeared.</p><p>However, Sans wasn't Mal, and Sans could see her ghostly self in the distance, floating in the very front as he was set down into his grave. And Amber had said her goodbyes to his open casket before that, so they did get in their goodbyes.</p><p>But the level of petty she had brought out just to emotionally manipulate her daughters more was just outrageous. To the point where she acted like it was Sans' fault that he wasn't able to see it, claiming that clearly he had taken too long trying to make himself beautiful to nab all of the attention.</p><p>Hands down, Mal was right. They were absolutely terrible in every single way. No wonder Amber was struggling alone, she was outnumbered and couldn't escape from them.</p><p>And, if he had to guess, Sans would say they probably were prohibiting her from doing things that she liked as another form of abuse, like making clothes judging by how she had moved her hands in a knitting fashion. Or, their spending habits were what really drove her down, much less a lack of respect, love, or privacy.</p><p>It was obvious everyone was really there for the will, which was why the funeral itself was so short. No one had bothered to say a speech, and barely anyone said goodbye, they just wanted the man's leftover cash to spend away until they ultimately had to beg for more from another unfortunate person.</p><p>Their abuse was more settle, hidden between the words they all spoke with smiles and happy faces. Everyone in this room was self obsessed, and manipulative. No wonder Mal had grown to be the woman that she was, she knew how to deal with people like them because she's dealt with them for so long. She took no ones crap because she's grown up with her parents lies for her entire childhood. Amber was fighting back in her own way, with her snide remarks that she had displayed earlier, as it was her only way to fight back or to get any control over her life. That's probably why she was quick to talk, but was caught off guard when someone actually listened and told her she was right. It probably didn't happen much.</p><p>Sans knew wills weren't read like this usually, even for humans. Wills were meant to be read more privately, yet everyone had scheduled this time to have a reading of the will. That was the real reason why everyone bothered to come here, they just wanted to all hear the will and brag about who got what.</p><p>The executioner stood in front of everyone, peeling open the envelope. For once, the corrupt family was silent, everyone leaning forward with anticipation. Amber looked bored, leaning against her arm while sighing. Mal floated next to her, hovering slightly above the seat with her arms crossed.</p><p>"Oh, it's short," The person said, people snickering at the idea of getting more.</p><p>Mal's Mother laughed, folding her fingers over each other with anticipation. She clearly expected to get a good chunk of the will.</p><p>"I, Johnny Amory," The woman read from the paper, ignorant to the corrupt family wanting to simply take the man's fortunes and waste it all. "Being of sound body and mind... yada yada yada, I hereby direct all of my belongings, my estate, the items within, my cash and ownership, I shall pass onto... Malerie Bree Amory."</p><p>Oh. Oh <em>no</em>.</p><p>"What?" An older man near the front said, standing up,</p><p>"My intention for Malerie is to thereby split the money and use half of it to support her sister when she turns of age for college," The woman continued, "But it is my full intention that all of my belongings and money, along with my estate, be directed at Malerie and Malerie alone."</p><p>"There- There has to be a mistake!" Someone else yelled, standing up.</p><p>"I'm sorry ma'am, but there isn't," The executioner said, "This will had been in effect for years before he started taking medication, and there's clear directions that all everything he owns goes to miss Amory alone."</p><p>Mal's Father, who had been holding a smile this entire time, looked to be seething in his seat now. Her Mother was looking directly at him.</p><p>"That can't be... uh, no, that's wrong!"</p><p>A man ran up to the front, snatching the paper from the poor woman's hands to double check. It took a moment before he confirmed it, almost ripping the paper before he was looking up and glaring at Sans.</p><p>Once it had been confirmed that only Mal would be getting anything, everyone directed their attention straight at him.</p><p>"Run."</p><p>And Sans heeded Amber's warning like nothing else.</p><p>He was up out of his seat in a moment, managing to get a head start towards the exit while others followed suit. Yelling started to screech out, demanding he get back there and to explain himself as he scurried away. If it wasn't bad enough that they had stood up and yelled at him, most of the family took after him and tried to chase him down, someone even having the audacity to throw something, it thudding against the wall next to his head.</p><p>Sans practically jumped down the stairs, tuning out the screams and yells that pressed against him as he made his escape. Gravel from the parking lot dug into his flats as he pulled out the keys, diving into the car as if he was dodging a bullet that had been shot where he had been standing. As he started it, people surrounded the car, banging against the glass loudly as angry faces filled his view. Some tried to go for a more understanding approach, tried to guilt him into leaving the car to "talk it out".</p><p>Air. He needed air. Sans couldn't breathe, he felt like he was being suffocated by the voices and compact space of the car. Sans gulped a breath of air, knuckles clutching around the steering wheel. He needed to get away. Why wasn't the car driving, why wasn't it-</p><p>Then, Mal's face was in his view.</p><p>"Sans, you need to put the car into drive," She said sternly, "You need to drive."</p><p>That seemed to snap Sans out of his momentary panic from the sudden yelling. Suddenly, he was back again, focused at the task at hand. It didn't matter that the will was directed at him, and it didn't matter that everyone had just become furious at him. Right now, he had to get out of there.</p><p>And he did.</p><p>Sans stepped on the gas, shooting out of the parking lot the first chance he got. Their yells continued to follow the car, as if gripping onto the edges to try and drag it back. However, Sans sharply turned onto the road, and let the car carry him away.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Wind pressed gently against the windshield as the car continued to hum down the road. Sans had been driving for awhile now, aimlessly taking twists and turns without any words shared between him and Mal. Both were recovering from the shock that had just unfolded, they needed that silence to let the excitement dwindle down into a somewhat pleasant drive. No need to overthink, to complicate things. It was over.</p><p>"Oh man, I did not expect all that to go down," Mal said, looking at Sans when she shattered the silence.</p><p>"Neither was I," Sans said, "I guess I'll just have to drive to your apartment now and call up the lawyers separately to get everything sorted out."</p><p>"Make sure to," Mal agreed, "I don't want any of them to get a single penny of his. We can set it aside, and once Amber turns 18, use it for her college degree. She's always wanted to be a fashion designer, so I want to use that for her."</p><p>"Amber likes to design clothes?" Sans asked, looking at her briefly.</p><p>"Yeah." Mal looked behind them, as if searching for Amber in the backseat. "It's been her dream since she's been able to walk. She loves designing things, and I promised her I'd take her to Paris to meet her idol when I traveled, so she could go to college there and work on her career. I guess... I'll have to do it as a ghost."</p><p>"She knows, Mal."</p><p>Mal looked over, surprised. "What?"</p><p>"She knows about me, she knew immediately," Sans clarified, slowing down the car. "She dragged me to the bathroom instantly and told me she could tell I wasn't you. I told her everything, and I promised her that we'd be there for her."</p><p>"What are you-"</p><p>Sans turned the car briskly into a nearby driveway, quickly turning it into reverse to back out, turning their direction back towards the place they had just driven away from.</p><p>"I never break a promise," Sans said, pulling out his phone. "I promised to you that I'd help your sister, and I promised to her that I'd get her out of that environment. We're going back."</p><p>"But she's 15, she's not a legal adult. They can have you arrested for kidnapping without custody of her," Mal said, "They won't give custody to you, they like having control."</p><p>"Yeah, but I have something they want now," Sans said, a spark of determination settling across his soul and face just as a grin did. "And they just might be willing to do an exchange."</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 13 - The Funeral (Part 3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was something about their house that simply screamed 'gold diggers'. Expensive and luxurious, yet unable to afford their daughter items for her hobbies.</p><p>Amber's room was smaller, crammed into the back of the house, practically out of view. Sans could almost feel the woman's gaze on him, piercing his back as he went to the woman's daughters room. Mal's Mom wasn't exactly happy about the idea of losing control over someone, which was probably why she didn't like the idea of simply letting Sans take Amber away. But then again, she couldn't resist the idea of money.</p><p>Sans had saw their messages on Mal's phone, and it was clear to see they were controlling freaks obsessed with money. Her Dad was more a 'nice' guy, who loved to buy people everything without a care, but he especially loved to buy his wife things. And his wife took advantage of that, she was more manipulative and petty than him. No wonder Mal had to get away, they wanted to micro manage their children to the ground. They were control freaks, pretty much.</p><p>But Mal and Amber were strong. They both experienced this, and instead of buckling down under the pressure, they fought back with their words as their only weapon for defense. Even growing up in such a hostile environment, they continued to fight back. Amber did start to crack under the pressure, but she was still going.</p><p>"I'll get Amber, bring her downstairs, and we can talk about the money," Sans told the woman, looking back at her.</p><p>"Of course, Malerie!" She said, clapping her hands.</p><p>Sans and Mal had been driving for awhile. By the time he finally turned around, the funeral had just ended, so he had drove to their house. It had been Mal's Mom who opened the door, and practically grinned when she saw her, using the excuse of family for the reason Mal came back.</p><p>Not too far from the truth, but their parents were not their family. They may be related, but that didn't excuse abuse. No wonder Mal was always harsh, and why she found it more difficult to make friends, it was because of her parents. And it was why she was always so honest to the point of being brutal.</p><p>Her parents sucked.</p><p>Amber's room was small, and she had nothing much of value. There was an old sewing machine on a desk, and a bunch of unfinished dresses in a pile next to it. Blinds were pulled shut against the windows, and only the strong glow of a phone lit the room, despite the light switch that Sans flicked on.</p><p>"M- Uh, Sans?" Amber corrected herself, perking up from under the blankets.</p><p>"Do you want to get rid of your parents?"</p><p>Amber looked off guard by the sudden question, brushing a strand of brown hair out of her face. Her hair was down, and she had changed into pajamas with black stripes and a plain white t-shirt. Her dress that she had worn was in front of her, along with a pair of scissors, pieces of fabric cut off and set aside into a pile.</p><p>"What are you doing here?" Amber said, "You know Mom and Dad are going to try to squeeze the money from the will out of you."</p><p>"I don't like making promises that much because they're always hard to keep," Sans explained, walking over to the bed. "People are never guaranteed to follow a promise, and they can break it whenever. But when I make promises, I stick to them. I promised to get you out of here, and I mean it. Now, do you want to get rid of your parents?"</p><p>Mal sat down onto the bed, watching her sister softly.</p><p>"You aren't going to kill them, are you?" Mal asked.</p><p>"No, that'd make things difficult," Sans said, turning towards the ghost. "If I killed them I think it'd do more harm than good. They're terrible people, sure, but they aren't going to die, Mal."</p><p>Sans knew that would have to be the final step if all else failed. He never wanted to resort to killing unless absolutely necessary. Sans didn't like fighting unless he had no choice left, unless he had to fight or die. Sometimes, even if you despised someone to the stars and back, the best option was to walk away when you had the chance.</p><p>Because one day, you might have to be prepared for when you don't have any choice but to fight.</p><p>Mal's parents may suck, but they hadn't hurt anyone. And as much as Sans didn't like them, he wouldn't up and go murder them out of the blue. That wasn't exactly a good response or idea.</p><p>"Wait, Mal's in here?" Amber asked, looking around.</p><p>"She's right next to you," Sans said.</p><p>Amber looked around, but of course, didn't see anyone. Mal sighed, leaning down against her propped up hand. This was probably going to be difficult communicating for the two of them.</p><p>"Hi Mal," Amber said.</p><p>"Hi," Mal replied.</p><p>"Mal says hi back," Sans said.</p><p>He sat down next to her, looking at Amber. Distant chirps could be heard as the sun settled behind the blinds, ready to end the day and unveil the stars for the world to see.</p><p>A piece of white hair was brushed from his own face. "But seriously, I'm not lying. When I make promises, I do my absolute darn best to keep them. We're getting you out of here."</p><p>"But how? You can't just drive away with me," Amber said.</p><p>"I just inherited a lot of money, there's a possibility we can make a deal," Sans said, looking at the door. "I'd say a money joke, but it's priceless... yeah, that one was bad. Let's ignore I said that."</p><p>"So when you just said you'd make a money joke, but it was priceless, I should ignore that?" Amber asked.</p><p>"Yeah, what about being priceless?" Mal taunted Sans with her sister, looking amused.</p><p>"I hate both of you," Sans said, unable to hide his own smile. "Let me think of a better pun!"</p><p>"A priceless one?" Amber asked.</p><p>Sans threw a pillow into her face.</p><p>"But what do you mean a deal?" Amber asked, moving the pillow to under her elbows.</p><p>"I have something they want," Sans said, "Pack everything you can into my car while I talk to them."</p><p>"You don't know that they'd just give away my custody to you just for money," Amber said, "Don't give them the full will for a first offer, they'll try to weasel more out of you. And if you give them all of that money, they might just buy a lawyer and get custody back over me."</p><p>"Just start packing your things," Sans said, "I have a bone to pick with them. There, see, the pun balance has been restored."</p><p>"I bet the balance was priceless," Amber said.</p><p>"Start packing your things, fart face." Sans smacked the pillow back against her face before he got up.</p><p>"What a priceless insult," Mal taunted, floating to follow Sans.</p><p>"Shut up Mal," Sans teased, laughing as he pulled open her bedroom door.</p><p>The laughter died down as he walked down the hall, the serious tone of the situation settling in once more. Amber was right. If he gave them the entire will as a first offer, they'd try to squeeze more money into the offer. And if he did give them that money, then they could do a lot more damage with it, and simply take back Amber if they managed to get a good enough lawyer.</p><p>Both of the parents were waiting for him, grinning like idiots because they knew they had an advantage. While Mal did have the money, they had someone Mal cared about. They could get so much out of her, milk her bank account dry with her sisters fate hanging in the air. And they had a hold over Mal her entire life, they knew how she thought, and they knew her beats and what buttons to push.</p><p>That was the funny thing, though. Sans wasn't Mal. They didn't know Sans.</p><p>This wasn't the first time Sans had to get custody over a sibling. Sans managed to use the confusion of being trapped Underground to settle down with Papyrus, but when the law eventually found him, he had to twist and weave through so many things just to guarantee his custody over Papyrus so they wouldn't get separated.</p><p>So, with a confident smile to rival their own, he sat down across from them.</p><p>"We're so glad you're doing what's best for the family!" Her Mom said. <br/><br/>"Actually, here's the real deal," Sans said, leaning forward. "I want full custody of Amber. While we sort it out, she'll be living with me."</p><p>"And what do you get out of it?" She asked.</p><p>"Oh, nothing."</p><p>Their faces fell. Mal's Father leaned forward. "What?"</p><p>"Nothing," Sans said, "The will was legally given to me, they're under my possession and control. I'm not giving you a single penny."</p><p>"You have to," Mal's Dad insisted, looking slightly angry. "In exchange for Amber!"</p><p>"Actually, that's practically buying a child," Sans said, tilting his head. "I'm sure the courts would love to hear how you tried to get me to buy my sister. Or should we talk about her living situation? I'm guessing you guys don't have a lot of money, and that's no place for a teenager to be living at. Not to mention how Amber would testify to wanting to live with me, her older sister who has a more stable job and living arrangement. Courts also listen to the person in custody as well if they're old enough, and I think we can both agree that Amber is plenty old enough to be testifying for herself."</p><p>"Excuse me, are you blackmailing us?" Mal's Mom asked.</p><p>"I thought that was rather obvious." Sans grinned. "If you guys don't relinquish custody and give it to me, I'll just take you to court. It'll be expensive, but I do have the money, and I doubt you guys do. Maybe I could even squeeze in some jail time for child neglect if you want."</p><p>Mal's Mom looked to be fuming, much like her Dad, the two glaring daggers at him like he was dirt.</p><p>"I'm your Mother, you owe me for giving birth to you!" The woman objected.</p><p>"No, not really," Sans said, "That's not how giving birth works, the child doesn't owe you anything. You guys can argue all you want, but you guys are broke, and I have the law and money on my side."</p><p>"We're family, you can't do this to us! Malerie, we're your parents," Her Father said.</p><p>"Okay, yeah, you are my parents," Sans said, "But I don't care."</p><p>"Um, Mal," Amber said, poking her head in through the door, "I got everything in your car."</p><p>"Alrighty then," Sans said, standing up. "I'll email you guys the details, but if you don't give me custody I am going to court with you guys. Bye then. Let's go, kid."</p><p>Amber made a point to slam the front door so hard behind her it almost shattered. That seemed to break the two out of their stupor, as the moment Sans was walking across their lawn, the two were screaming profanities that were muffled through the walls. Sans and Amber picked up their pace, hurrying across the yard towards his car.</p><p>"Freedom! Suck it!" Amber yelled out the window towards the house, flipping it off with the biggest smile on her face he's ever seen.</p><p>Sans simply laughed, turning the car into reverse to pull out of the driveway. What a nice trip. </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 14 - Celebration Dinner</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A line of grease trailed down his chin as Sans took another bite into the delicious abundance of meat, stars twinkling out across the night sky. Headlights flashed across the parking lot of the fast food joint before pulling away, dissolving into the darkness that consumed it. Amber shoved a handful of fries into her face next to him, unaware that a few escaped her grasp and tumbled down onto her lap.</p><p>As Sans suspected, the parents didn't go down without a fight. Either way, he won. Sans had the financially resources to back him up, and the battle for custody revealed that Mal's parents were in debt and had stolen a bunch of money from somewhere, and that they had been neglecting to keep Amber's healthcare up. Basically, they were in jail, and Amber was under Sans' custody. A good turn out, and hey, Sans won even more money than what he started with.</p><p>But really, that wasn't Sans' money. That was Mal's. The man wanted his money to be spent by her and her alone, not Sans. Did he have any right to even touch it? Sure, he was in her body, but it was meant for Mal.</p><p>Amber was a new addition to his life, but due to the courts and legal stuff, he hadn't managed to have much quality time with her. And the whole 'Mal is a ghost who Amber can't hear or speak to' was a tad bit difficult, but with Sans in the middle they were able to communicate.</p><p>There wasn't too many similarities between Amber with either Sans or Mal. Bits and pieces of likes and dislikes were shared, but that was it. She was able to fight for herself like Mal, but she also was a bit downtrought about her family like Sans. And she loved fast food, just like Sans did.</p><p>"So, you're into fashion?" Sans asked.</p><p>This was the first time the two got to settle down and actually get to know each other without anyone getting in the way. Not as Sans pretending to be mal, but just as Sans, who was trying to become friends with his friends sister. Amber was pretty cool, he did like her. Especially when the neighbor in their next apartment had been loud, so she went over and told them every aspect of why they didn't look attractive. The loud music had been replaced by loud crying.</p><p>Girl was brutal, but his music had been extremely loud. Amber doesn't attack or insult without a good reason first, usually she's pretty nice to people, but when they give her a reason she doesn't hold back. Girl is good with her words.</p><p>"I love making clothes," Amber said, chewing on another fry. "I'm not that good at school, that was Mal's thing, but I love fashion and designs. It costs a lot for good fabric and stuff, so I never was able to do it much, but I cut up my own clothes and use their fabric to make my own designs. It's not great, but eh, it works."</p><p>Amber didn't have many clothes she brought, but Sans could tell that they were all homemade. Not the best of quality, with fabric unmatching, but still impressive for a kid in high school. It'd obviously take a few more years to finalize her skills, however, she had some serious talent.</p><p>"I seriously think you should go for it," Sans said, "Become a fashion designer. Your stuff rocks."</p><p>"Well, yeah, I know it looks pretty good," Amber said, "But I always struggled for materials, and I was never sure how I would be able to pay for college. I don't have good grades, and I hate sports. Seriously, how do you chase after a ball for so long?"</p><p>"No idea, I just lay down and take a nap," Sans said.</p><p>"Oh, amen to that. Naps are the best."</p><p>"They are."</p><p>"Naps are unproductive," Mal said from the backseat, leaning up to flick his cheek. "But since you got the will money, you can use that for her college application."</p><p>"Mal said naps are unproductive," Sans told Amber, "But we can use the money from the will to get you into college, a good one too. Um... I'm still new to the surface, what are good fashion colleges?"</p><p>"Well, New York and Paris are pretty famous fashion places," Amber said, before pausing and looking over at Sans. "They're pretty... priceless."</p><p>"I make one, one single bad pun," Sans groaned, bitting into his burger. "Are you guys ever going to let this go?"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"No."</p><p>He let his head hit the back of his seat, looking across the dark parking lot. They were the only one's there, simply enjoying their late night snack in celebration of Sans getting custody.</p><p>"But what about you, skeleton boy?" Amber asked, "You and Mal get along good, right? What's your story?"</p><p>"You mean my hopes and dreams?" Sans asked, "Um... well, I don't actually have any goals. I guess I just felt a little bonely."</p><p>"Wait, seriously?" Amber leaned up in her seat, a stray french fry joining the ever growing pile on her lap. "You had no goals before you died? Don't you have a dream job, a dream life?"</p><p>"Not really." Sans shrugged. "I like jokes, but I don't think only puns could cut it out for stand up. I tried it a bit underground, I didn't like it too much. And I'm good with science, but I wouldn't want a career out of it. I like stars, but I don't know enough to base a career off of it. I never really had any sort of dream job, I just did what payed the bills."</p><p>"That's understandable. But what are you going to do now?"</p><p>"Well..." Sans looked at Mal. "We have to get you into school, and... I'm not sure about myself. Mal and I talked about starting a new life, but I'm not sure how I'd go about that."</p><p>"Didn't you mention you have a brother?"</p><p>Oh, right. He did mention having a little brother. Sans looked out towards the dark street. His old house wasn't too far from here, he probably could be there in no time.</p><p>"Yeah, a little bro," Sans said. "But he and I ain't on very good terms anymore. He did something that's not exactly good in monster culture to me."</p><p>Amber tilted her head. "What even is monster culture like?"</p><p>"You want to know?"</p><p>"I think she asked for a reason, Sans," Mal said, "But I'm curious too about monster stuff. You should tell me more." She rested her head onto her hands.</p><p>"And more I shall tell you." Sans returned her the flick she had inflicted onto him earlier. "Amber, your sister is mean."</p><p>"Nah, she's honest," Amber laughed, "But c'mon, I wanna know this stuff! Monsters sound cool."</p><p>"We aren't exactly cool, just more magical," Sans said, "I guess I can show you my soul first."</p><p>"Your soul- I hate you."</p><p>Sans had lifted up his foot, pointing towards the sole of his shoe. Amber threw a french fry at him.</p><p>"Okay, okay, I'll show you my actual soul."</p><p>Sans tapped a hand against his chest, letting the white and purple object float out. Yup, no changes. Still the same old, unusual soul of theirs.</p><p>"Oh, wow that's cool!" Amber poked it lightly. "Does it do anything special? Like a trick?"</p><p>"What? Amber, it's me and Mal's soul, it's already special." Sans pushed the object back into his chest.</p><p>"It doesn't do tricks." Mal looked like she would have thrown a look at Amber if her sister could have seen her.</p><p>"And I have a feeling Mal said something, so shut up," Amber said, looking at the backseat.</p><p>"She knows me too well," Mal said.</p><p>Sans smiled at the pair of sisters, letting their connected souls float back into his chest. They really were good sisters. Mal was the more responsible one, and sure, she was harsh and honest, but Amber was a good counter to her. Amber knew how to verbally fight, and she was creative, good for comebacks and new insults. And they knew each other, how they'd react and respond. No doubt they were close.</p><p>Oh, darn it, now he missed Papyrus.</p><p>"You should tell her," Mal had caught onto his emotions, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It'll help to talk to someone other than me."</p><p>"I... Yeah, I should tell you about the monster stuff." Sans turned towards Amber. "So, do you know that monsters are more magical than humans, right?"</p><p>"I know monsters can use magic," Amber said.</p><p>"Monsters not only can use magic, they're made of magic. So when we die, that magic runs out, and our bodies turn to dust. Does that make sense?"</p><p>Amber paused, her mouth practically full of the remaining fries from the box that had been tilted up to make them all drop into her mouth. "Yesth."</p><p>"Well, dust is kind of like a body then. Your family gets the dust container and they choose what happens to it. It's monster tradition to spread dust over something the monster loved so they could live with that forever, or to keep the dust in a container so the family member is always there."</p><p>"Sappy stuff," Mal summed up.</p><p>"And my brother um... well, he threw away my dust."</p><p>After she realized what that meant, Amber leaned forward, choking on the fries that she had been practically chugging as if it was a soda. "Oh sh*t- Dude, that's brutal. Like, he basically threw away your dead body."</p><p>"It basically says he hated me that much," Sans said, leaning against his hand. "Great, now I'm not hungry... nevermind, I'm always in the mood for food." Sans pulled out his own container of fries, then narrowed his crystal blue eyes at Amber. "Did you eat my fries?"</p><p>"... No."</p><p>"You did, get over here Amb'!"</p><p>The car erupted into chaos as Sans lunged at her, trying to pry her own fry container from her. Amber ripped it to the side, giving a screech as an animal would when food was being taken. In the midst of their wrestling, Sans managed to squeeze out a few puns, making Mal burst into laughter in the backseat.</p><p>Time passed, their talk continuing as the two learned about each other. Food was soon finished, and shadows continued their journey of crawling across the parking lot as stars shifted in the sky.</p><p>A bag of trash thudded against the bottom of the can before Sans turned back towards the car. Amber's snores could be heard, rumbling deeply as he approached. It was pretty late, but he was surprised she was already out. Her long hair was knotted, unkept, strands thrown across her face with no pattern. Mal was watching her, or more so watching the crumb pile on her sisters lap.</p><p>"Is she always this messy of an eater?" Sans asked quietly to Mal.</p><p>"Yup," Mal said, "She always has two meals. Her first meal, then the stuff that falls onto her lap. But you don't have to worry about being quiet, she'll sleep through everything. Once I cleaned up her entire room, vacuumed, and she slept through it."</p><p>"Sleep is amazing," Sans pointed out, starting up the car.</p><p>"But what are your plans?" Mal asked, "For the money?"</p><p>"The will money?" Sans asked, "It's your money. You should get to say what happens to it."</p><p>"Well, I'm rather dead right now, Sans."</p><p>Sans pulled out of the parking lot onto the road, taking a brief glance at her from the mirror. "But you're still here, and there was a reason why your Uncle wanted you to use the money. Even if I'm in your body, you should be the one to use it. The money was meant for you, so it's your money."</p><p>"Sans."</p><p>Mal set her hands onto his shoulders in a supportive gesture. Amber snored loudly, lightly kicking her food again.</p><p>"I spent my whole life just working for money... and I never got anything out of it," Mal said, "I don't need the money. You struggled for money, now's your chance to use this new body and money to get a life you want. It's your money now, Sans."</p><p>"Are you sure?"</p><p>"Use it however you like."</p><p>Sans nodded, looking off to the side of the road as he continued to drive. Sans and Papyrus never had any money before. How would he even use it? He had no idea what he even wanted out of life!</p><p>But Mal did. And so did Amber.</p><p>And Papyrus.</p><p>Once Sans spotted a bank, he turned towards it, driving in through the empty parking lot that resembled the last one they were at. Mal looked at him questionably, so Sans told her what he was thinking.</p><p>"I saw how much money you got from the will, and how much you had originally," Sans explained, pulling up to the ATM. "And I know how much a lot of expensive colleges cost." His fingers reached out, punching in a few numbers. "If we sold the house and everything inside, that could cover the college alone. I'm taking out half of the money for Papyrus."</p><p>"But-"</p><p>"I know, what he did," Sans said, looking at her. "I know, I just... He's always had a dream to open up his own restaurant, and we could never do that before. I don't have a dream, and I know he threw away my dust, but... he at least knows his dreams, and this should give him the chance to do that."</p><p>"Just because he's your brother doesn't mean he's family, Sans," Mal said, "He still hurt you."</p><p>"And I'm not saying I'll be going back into his life," Sans said, "But he deserves to find his own happiness, doesn't he? And if that's without me... then so be it."</p><p>"But what about the rest of the money?" Mal asked.</p><p>"You said you wanted to travel, didn't you?" Sans locked his eyes with her transparent green ones. "So let's travel."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>With a thud, a box landed against the concrete of the front porch, money bouncing from the impact. A white hand pressed against the doorbell, the cue of a ring following almost immediately. Once a light flicked on inside of the skeleton household, a flash of white hair turned before a sparkle of blue magic encompassed their body, teleporting them away.</p><p>Papyrus pulled open the front door, sleepily and tear stained eye sockets straining to see through the dark air. However, the color of brown caught his attention, making him look down.</p><p>A box?</p><p>He kneeled down, peeling back the lid and gasped. Money? There were several hundred dollar bills neatly packed into stacks, filling the box to the brim. If every single bill in there was a hundred, and they were all shoved into this large box...</p><p>A white slip fluttered in his gaze, the skeleton hesitantly reaching to pick it up. Why would someone send so much money to him of all people? Why was it sent so late? The box wasn't even labeled or anything, should he trust it?</p><p>'<em>For your restaurant</em>'</p><p>Once the words connected with the money, Papyrus jerked his head up, looking around. No one. The street was empty, whoever had just sent him the package was somehow gone.</p><p>"Thank you," Papyrus called out to the street.</p><p>His voice was lost to the silence of the dark night. </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 15 - Prepared to Leave</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Where are we going?"</p><p>"I have no idea."</p><p>Crisp sunlight cut through the clouds, decorating the sidewalk below. A slender hand pressed against the trunk of Mal's car, pressing it closed. People littered the sidewalk around them, the backdrop of chatter floating along.</p><p>"I like your outfit," A random person complimented Amber.</p><p>"Thank you!" Amber gushed, her eyes practically glowing from happiness.</p><p>Her outfit was made entirely out of her old clothes, but had a unique energy to it that radiated fashion. Sans wouldn't know, he wasn't too into clothes or anything. Either way, he was happy she was happy. The girl put hard work into her outfit, and it showed she had a serious passion for it.</p><p>Sans wasn't really sure what he had a passion for, but he was going to find out.</p><p>A road trip. That was their plan. Where to? Well, none of them knew. It was a mystery, really. Sans had nowhere he wanted to go, and Amber had a few years before college hit. So, in the meantime, they'd simply travel. It was summertime anyway, she had no school to attend. Once summer was over, he'd find a decent school for her to finish up high school at. As of now, though, she was on summer vacation, and she was going to travel with him and Mal.</p><p>Amber pulled at her homemade shirt, looking silently around them. What really sucked was that she couldn't see Mal, not like Sans. If they could talk, Mal wouldn't be as lonely, and Amber would have support from her real sister.</p><p>Was she his new younger sibling?</p><p>Sans stretched out his hands, using them to block out the sun as he looked up at the bright sky. Amber was cool, and maybe it was the loss of his own brother from his life, or the fact that he had claimed her sisters body as his own, but Sans would like to think of her like a younger sister. They did have that dynamic. Because Sans was in Mal's body, it let them open up to each other more.</p><p>
  <em>Mal walked up to Amber, who was eating popcorn while watching T.V in their living room. She looked to be younger, as did Mal.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I just shaved," Mal said, throwing a leg across Amber's popcorn littered lap.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh my gosh," Amber said dramatically, throwing a hand across her chest. "You just shaved. I am so proud."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe that's a hint for you to shave, missie," Mal said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Amber threw a piece of popcorn towards her open mouth, but missed completely, causing it to tumble over her shoulder into a small pile of missed popcorn behind the couch.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hey, I'm just letting my hair do it's own thing," Amber said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She peeled back her own pants and swung her own unshaved leg around, landing it onto her sisters.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Let me spread my leg hair onto you," Amber joked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Leg hair can't be spread," Mal said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Shhhh, it's like a virus, you've already become infected."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mal rolled her eyes, pulling her leg away from her sister before she sat down next to her. When she felt someone under her bottom, she paused, tilting her body over and pulling out a handful of popcorn pieces that she just had crushed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Stop eating food in here!" Mal threw the pieces at her sister.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nevah!" Amber yelled, grabbing the container of popcorn and throwing herself over the couch to stop Mal from taking it, only to land on her back and wheeze from the pain.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're an idiot," Mal said, looking over the arm of the couch down at her sister.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know you are, but what am I?" Amber stuck out her foot and rubbed the bottom of her sock against her sisters face.</em>
</p><p>Huh?</p><p>Where did that memory come from? Why was Mal suddenly thinking about it?</p><p>Movement caught his attention before Sans found Mal floating next to him, looking at her sister silently. She noticed Sans' gaze, giving him a soft smile. <br/><br/>"I'll be able to talk to her one day, right?" Mal asked.</p><p>Sans nodded. "One day, I'm sure."</p><p>"You're lying."</p><p>Sans sighed, looking at his ghost friend again.</p><p>"There has to be a way, I'm sure," Sans said., "I might not know it, but if there's a way for our souls to get stuck together, we can get them unstuck."</p><p>With a smile, Mal reached out, patting his shoulder.</p><p>"Thanks for trying, and for being here for both me and my sister," Mal said, "I'm going to go make sure you don't have anything else in the apartment."</p><p>When Mal floated away, Sans had turned to watch her vanish through the wall. If he was stuck in her position, he would be a little bummed as well. The loneliness was starting to set in, that was obvious. Mal could interact with no one but him, of course it would start to dwell on her that she'd never be able to directly talk to her sister again.</p><p>"Okay, so," Amber said, walking towards Sans with a map, "I know a few really good fabric stores we can go to, and I know a few amazing places for pictures. Mal would like the scenery, and I could take some example pictures of my clothes for Instagram to get a head start. And... And... Oh f*ck."</p><p>Amber was now looking off at the other side of the street, dropping the map to the sidewalk as a sound that sounded between a screech and a squeak forced its way out of her throat.</p><p>"Hoooly shit," She wheezed.</p><p>"What?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Oh my goodness, Mal?"</p><p>A woman's voice cut through the air, making Sans jerk his head towards here Amber had her eyes set. On the other side of the street was a woman with thick blonde hair, waving around a hand to get his attention. She ran across the street, not giving a care in the world to the approaching cars as she ran towards him. A car honked and screeched to a stop in front of her, but she only responded by completely ignoring them. Basically what most people would not do in that situation, but okay.</p><p>"Hey there Sammy," Amber said, giving a wave.</p><p>"Amber! Look at you, you've grown so much!" Sammy said, pulling the girl into a hug. "But Mal, it's me! From high school!"</p><p>Wait, <em>this </em>was the girl Mal had talked about?</p><p>When Sans had heard Mal had a crush on somebody, he honestly expected it to be a woman much like her with a hard attitude and cold exterior. Instead, what he was seeing was a normal girl meeting an old friend, gushing happily about their reunion.</p><p>Sans honestly did not expect to see this in the slightest.</p><p>The girl looked to be his and Mal's age, and she seemed to be normal. Except for a large scar that ran down the front entirety of her face, jagged and unkept, running from her forehead all the way to her chin. Ouch. If she got that, it must have hurt.</p><p>Other than the scar, though, Sammy looked pretty normal. Thick and puffy blonde hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, cascading down her back and to her knees, by far exceeding Sans and Amber's hair lengths. Her clothing style was a bit odd, a dark purple and grey sweater bagging from her shirt, with a matching dark purple sweatpants thrown on without a care. She wore a lot of dark colors, that was for sure.</p><p>Soft brown eyes practically sparkled at Sans, but for a brief moment he saw them narrow. Oh, right, he was pretending to be Mal! And Mal liked this girl!</p><p>Where was Mal when he needed her? Seriously, she always seemed to disappear whenever Sans was thrown into a situation where he needed her desperately.</p><p>"I can't believe you're here! We have so much to talk about!" Sammy said, clapping her hands excitedly as her entire body radiated utter joy.</p><p>"We do?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Yeah, c'mon!" Sammy said, "I know a great coffee place downtown and I could drive us there! They have the best coffee, I love coffee, seriously it's so..."</p><p>As Sammy ranted she practically latched herself onto Sans' arm, starting to drag away the poor skeleton who was utterly confused. Amber gave an awkward wave.</p><p>"Goodbye?" She said, unsure of how to respond.</p><p>"I'll see you later I guess, Amber!" Sans said before he was lost in the crowd on the sidewalk.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 16 - First Impressions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"... Of course, that's when I finally did get my phone, and-"</p><p>Sans glanced around the bustling coffee shop, biting back his bottom lip. There were a few monsters there, none of them Sans was best friends with, but that meant he couldn't just outright tell her that he was not in fact Mal. Sans bit his lip again. That actually was kind of useful, he liked that.</p><p>How exactly did Sans get here? It happened so fast that he could barely comprehend it. The car ride especially, he felt like he was going to throw up.</p><p>Sans wasn't sure who this Sammy girl was yet, but one thing was clear, she wasn't a safe driver. Not in the slightest. The moment he had settled down into the car, she was already driving. Not only did she probably drive over the speed limit, but her windows were down, causing Sans to ultimately get a mouthful of his own hair that constantly whipped him in the face from the high speed winds. Sans had not been prepared for that.</p><p>But one shouldn't excuse a safe with good. Sammy was somehow extremely good in the car. Entirely unsafe, and didn't follow road laws when she felt like it, but she could navigate a car like no one's business. That could explain why she's so unsafe, she's too confident in her driving abilities to bother. Either way, it was still terrifying, and Sans had been so caught off guard he barely registered entering the coffee shop before they were already sitting down.</p><p>"Sorry about having no grape soda, I know you mentioned once it should be in every restaurant like coke is," Sammy said, blowing some of his blonde hair away out of her sight as she rested her chin against her wrist.</p><p>With her blowing the hair away from her forehead, Sans' attention was brought back to the large scar with rough edges, traveling down and stopping just at her chin. Didn't Mal say a school collapsed onto her, and that's why she moved away?</p><p>"That's fine," Sans said, trying to wave off the subject.</p><p>"I saw that you um... well, you dyed your hair," Sammy said, "And I'm guessing those are contacts?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah," Sans said, holding out a piece of his white hair. "I just felt like a change, you know?"</p><p>"Yeah," Sammy said, "It looks very... okay, I hate it."</p><p>What? Sans looked up, caught off guard.</p><p>"I think you looked really pretty before!" Sammy said, "And... you know, you didn't have to change your appearance for anyone. You looked so pretty before!"</p><p>If Sans was Mal, maybe he would have blushed. But he wasn't, he didn't know this girl. What was he supposed to say?</p><p>"Thanks, but I just decided to change things up a bit," Sans said, "Don't worry, I'd like to go back to how I looked before."</p><p>That wasn't a lie. Sans really would like to go back to being a skeleton. Go back to his old life, when he never knew how everyone felt.</p><p>Ignorance was bliss, and maybe it would have been a better outcome if he did die on that night.</p><p>Seriously, where was Mal when he needed her?</p><p>"But I am so glad to finally see you!" Sammy said, "Like, you actually have no idea how much I missed you. Seriously, it sucks without you Mal."</p><p>It really does, Sammy. It really does.</p><p>"I mean, I had so many late nights thinking about you and you're hair and-"</p><p>As Sammy started talking, she started to absentmindedly twirl her hair, ignorant to her rant or the server who was setting down their coffee orders. Sans grabbed his own cup, listening to her with a soft smile.</p><p>Someone had a crush, alright.</p><p>"-And then you'd pinned me against the mattress and we'd finally-"</p><p>Only then did Sammy realize what she was saying, lips sealing shut with a bright red blush, brown eyes staring at Sans.</p><p>"Haha, wow, um, it sure is hot in here!" Sammy said nervously, rushing to grab her cup. "I need a drink!"</p><p>"Wait, Sammy, that's-"</p><p>His warning came too late, as Sammy had grabbed her cup of boiling hot coffee and tipped it back, practically chugging it. Only then did she realize what happened, eyes bulging.</p><p>Despite that, though, she <em>kept drinking</em>. Maybe out of embarrassment, or stubbornness, but she refused to remove the cup from her lips until it fell to the table, empty.</p><p>"You okay?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Yeah, totally," Sammy squeaked.</p><p>Sans gently cupped his own coffee between his hands, waiting for the beverage to cool. This girl had a crush, alright.</p><p>"So, uh..." Once Sammy had recovered from probably burning her entire mouth, she brought up the question, occasionally biting on her tongue ot sticking it out to cool down. "What brings you here?"</p><p>"I moved out here awhile ago," Sans said, trying to remember every single detail he learned about Mal. "For a job out here. It didn't work out very well, so I quit."</p><p>"And you're living with Amber now, right?" Sammy asked, "I thought you guys would wait until she was 18. I think she's... only 15 now?"</p><p>"Yeah, she is, but I brought M- my parents to court and won custody over her."</p><p>"Aw, that's amazing! I remember your parents, they sucked. Like that one time where they tried to take my allowance, you stole it back from your Mom and got grounded for a month just so I could get it back. That was really sweet of you."</p><p>"Mhm."</p><p>Sans really wasn't sure what to say or do. Sure, he knew Mal, but he couldn't replicate her exactly! He didn't even know what Sammy was talking about!</p><p>"What about your parents?" Sans almost crossed his fingers and prayed that Sammy would take this opportunity to talk more about herself.</p><p>Please don't have her parents be dead please don't-</p><p>"They're doing great! We've been spending a lot of family time together, you know, doing our usual stuff," Sammy answered, "My Mom bought a new robe last week, want to see?"</p><p>Yes! Now she could talk all about herself and Sans wouldn't have to stress about pretending to be Mal. Whew.</p><p>"Sure."</p><p>What Sans had expected was for Sammy to pull out her phone and show him some pictures. What he did not expect, however, was for her to call over the server to pay the bill.</p><p>"Sammy, you-"</p><p>"It's alright! I don't mind paying," Sammy said, "I really don't. We have to go back to my house to show you my Mom's new robe!"</p><p>The woman fished through her purse, looking for her wallet. She pulled out a container of makeup, followed by some lipgloss, and...</p><p>A knife?</p><p>Yeah, no, that was a knife. And not a simple one. It was pretty defined, with very thick lines carved into the blade and handle that looked like something from a cult or ritual. Yet, she so casually pulled it out, as if it was fine to carry around a knife. The edge looked sharp too, extremely sharp.</p><p>"Ah, there we go, I always shove my wallet deep down so no one tries to pickpocket me," Sammy said, looking up at Sans. "What?"</p><p>Sans was stared at the knife, flicking his blue eyes up at her before moving them back down.</p><p>"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Sammy clasped her hands together. "I got a new knife! It's official and everything!"</p><p>A new knife?</p><p>What kind of people were Mal's type?</p><p>Sans barely had anytime to even get a grip of the situation before Sammy was pulling him out of his seat, having paid for their drinks. He was still stuck on the topic of the knife before he suddenly found himself within the car again.</p><p>"Time to go!" Sammy cheered, starting the car.</p><p>With a sigh, Sans frantically buckled himself.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Sans looked softly at the houses on either side of Sammy's. The one on the left looked lovely! There was a soft plush bed of roses, and a nice, clean sidewalk to the front door. On the other side, there was a larger houses, with a couple of children playing basketball on the warm summer day.</p><p>Then, there was Sammy's house.</p><p>It looked haunted.</p><p>If the window shutters suddenly clattered shut, Sans wouldn't have been really surprised. The house looked kept, and the lawn looked mowed and neat. There wasn't any weeds, or any damages on the house. It was just the decoration. Right now, it was summertime, yet they looked to be decorating for halloween. Spiderwebs and tombstones was placed around the yard. The walls were painted black, with spider decorated curtains covering each and every window. Each other house on the block was a more bright and upbeat color with flowers, while Sammy's house looked like it was pulled out of a Tim Burton movie. Couldn't they at least have flowers?</p><p>Sammy brought out her keys as they walked, having practically talked nonstop the entire way about how excited she was. Somehow, even though her driving wasn't exactly safe, she managed to do a perfect parking job. It was spot on! Even Sans wasn't that good of a driver.</p><p>"My parents are home right now, oh my gosh I'm super excited!" Sammy squealed, walking up to the door.</p><p>Sans waited absentmindedly, glancing over at the seat on her porch. There was a skeleton prop sitting there, practically sinking into his chair.</p><p>"Same bro, same," Sans muttered to it, patting the prop's shoulder.</p><p>"Mom, Dad, I'm back!" Sammy called into the house, stepping inside. "And I brought Mal!"</p><p>Just like the outside, the inside was decorated like Halloween was right around the corner. Fake spiderwebs, bowls of weird looking things, and ritual runes were thrown about. Maybe they were just Halloween fanatics?</p><p>"Ah, Mal..."</p><p>Oh lord that was Creepy.</p><p>The voice was low and dark, rumbling across the room in complete contrast to Sammy's upbeat tone. Just hearing it alone sent a shiver down Sans' spine, a cold feeling crawling up his back. Slowly turning, he finally faced the source of the voice, finding what he assumed to be Sammy's Father standing there.</p><p>"H-hello..." Sans felt like he should jump out of a window.</p><p>Tall and lean, the man stood, with his back hunched. He was wearing some sort of weird ritual, cult looking outfit, a dark and ominous robe bagging from his body and draping down onto the floor. Peaks of blonde hair stuck out, dead, cold brown eyes staring into his soul itself. His face was deafly pale, and there was defined shadows under his eyes. But they didn't look natural... did the man put black eye shadows <em>underneath </em>his eyes?</p><p>"Hello there Mal, it's been such a long time since we last spoke," The man said quietly, his tone soft and extremely creepy. "Would you like to come in? We'd love to have you for... dinner."</p><p>Were they going to eat him?</p><p>Sammy seemed unphased by all of this, cheerily grinning from ear to ear happily, as if her Father didn't just suggest they were going to eat Sans.</p><p>"Dad, I told Mal about the new robe Mom got!" Sammy said.</p><p>"Oh, did you?" He asked, nodding so slow Sans wasn't even sure if he nodded. "Yes, she did get one... I shall go fetch her..."</p><p>"Yeah, have fun," Sans said, internally screaming.</p><p>What the hell kind of people was Mal into? Was this girl part of some family cult? Was he going to get sacrificed?</p><p>Then, when Sans thought it couldn't get any worse, the man didn't walk away. Oh no, that'd feel normal. Somehow, as if he had wheels under that robe, he practically hovered away, robe fluttering as he disappeared from the room.</p><p>Creepy.</p><p>"Ah, I'm so excited to show you my new room!" Sammy said, "I even still have ThumperStinkle!"</p><p>Sammy looked as if waiting for a response, but Sans just silently offered an awkward smile. Who was ThumperStinkle? Hell if he knew. Should he just come clean now? Sammy should at least deserve to know the truth.</p><p>But then again, ignorance was sometimes bliss. Maybe it'd be better if she didn't find out. She seemed like a sweet girl, just with a creepy home, family, and knife.</p><p>When Sammy's Mother came out, she was just as creepy as her Dad. Pieces of blonde hair stuck out from under her robe, the same makeup used under and above her eyes, forming a circle around each one. Were they the founders of tumblr?</p><p>"Mal, what a surprise..." Her mother spoke deeply, "It's been a few years. You look... different."</p><p>"Yup," Sans said.</p><p>"You should stay awhile," She said, "We need to... bond, after all."</p><p>The door clicked locked behind Sans, and he was pretty sure a squeak of fear came from his throat. Sure enough, there was her Father, locking the door. Fun.</p><p>"Don't you like my Mom's new robe?" Sammy asked Sans, as if he wasn't just locked inside of her house.</p><p>"It's easily washable, so I can wash out blood whenever... accidents happen," She spoke, eyes narrowing at Sans.</p><p>Sans laughed awkwardly, eyeing the window like it was a good bottle of ketchup. It looked very tempting, so breakable by his body, and the lawn looked perfect to run across screaming and flailing his arms.</p><p>"Here, let's go upstairs while they make lunch," Sammy said.</p><p>Once again, without any chance to protest or process what just happened, Sammy was dragging Sans away to her room while the two parents disappeared into a separate room.</p><p>"I mean, I know I'm still living with my parents even though I'm an adult," Sammy said, "But it's really hard to find a job where they let you carry knives."</p><p>Yeah, that would sound difficult. Probably because she shouldn't be carrying knives around in public, that was admittedly a little weird. And creepy.</p><p>Her room wasn't entirely what Sans expected, which he was very thankful for. Sure, it was dark and ominous, but there was some personality to it. Posters of famous singers were on the walls, the bed had a few stuffed animals on it, and... and there was a giant ritual circle in the center of the room. Darn it. So close.</p><p>"Here, I have ThumperStinkle!"</p><p>Sammy threw open her closet door, shuffling aside outfits to grab something from within. Each outfit had the same look, having dark colors with black. Dark purple seemed to be the most prevalent.</p><p>"Look, look!" Sammy said excitedly, holding out an old looking, deformed cow plush. "I kept him all this time!"</p><p>Sans took the object into his hands, smiling awkwardly. The plush was old, worn with age, one of its eyes sown back on. There was obvious emotional value behind it, value that Sans didn't know. He wasn't Mal, he didn't know Sammy.</p><p>Sammy's happy smile fell when Sans didn't react like she expected, She took one step back, then another.</p><p>"I... why are you so..." She whispered.</p><p>"What?" Sans asked.</p><p>"You're... you're so different," Sammy said, twirling a piece of her hair again. "I was so excited to finally see you, but you're just so... wrong! Maybe it's been too long, but you're different, and I don't like it!" Sammy looked like she might cry. "We were such good friends, what happened? Why are you so different? You changed you hair, your eyes, your clothes, you aren't you! I don't get it! Was I just a bad friend? Did you ever see me as more... why... why? I miss my old Mal, the one who was strong, the one who didn't care about my knives or my wands! I saw the way you looked at it, at my parents! What happened to make your soul so different? Why do you feel so off and different? It's been so long, are we just not meant to be friends anymore?"</p><p>Sans wanted to say something, but he couldn't. This poor girl really liked Mal, and now... she'd never be able to talk to her again. They both liked each other, yet Sans was coming in the way.</p><p>Maybe he should just leave, let Sammy move on. It's what she deserved, to love someone she could see and talk to? Sans wasn't Mal, no wonder she was upset.</p><p>"Sans, I'm here!" Mal said, floating in through the wall.</p><p>Oh, thank Toby Fox! Sans turned towards her, a sigh of relief escaping. She must have felt his soul and came out all this way! Now he'd just have to figure out something to say to Sammy.</p><p>When he turned, he didn't find her gaze on him. No, it...</p><p>It was on Mal.</p><p>"Mal?" Sammy asked quietly, staring at the ghost. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 17 - Second Impressions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>White hair scattered out across the wooden table as Sans thudded down against it, groaning against the wood. He outstretched his arms, pointing both of his hands at Sammy.</p><p>"You don't understand how creepy that all was!" He said.</p><p>"I thought you were someone I knew, I thought you were Mal!" Sammy wheezed, covering her face. "I am so so sorry!"</p><p>First impressions between Sans and Sammy weren't exactly fantastic. Sans had honestly assumed they were in a cult, and he was pretty sure he was going to be sacrificed or something. But, as it turned out, that wasn't the whole truth.</p><p>They were witches, but they practiced modern witchcraft. Ceremonial Magic, to be precise. That was why they had ruins, and bowls of weird items, and why Sammy carried the knife. Not exactly a cult, they didn't force anyone to join and they didn't have any leaders. Sammy had explained to Sans, once they got everything figured out, that Ceremonial Witchcraft was ritual magic dealing with spirits and ghosts, and they her and her parents were modern witches who practiced it. Not cliche witches that had brooms, and they didn't use their magic for evil.</p><p>It had explained why Sammy could see Mal, because she practiced magic dealing with spirits. And it was why she felt something was about Sans, because both he and Mal were stuck together.</p><p>There were more misunderstandings explained to Sans. The lack of flowers? Sammy was allergic to pollen, and having flowers would set her off every time she even left their house. Why were their windows closed? The pollen from the other houses, leaving them open could set Sammy into a sneezing fit from her allergies. Locking the door behind Sans? A racoon once came in through the front door when it hadn't been fully closed, and Sammy's Dad had screamed so loud the neighbors had called the cops because they thought he hurt himself. Sammy's dark clothing? She just liked dark purple and black, nothing too deep about it.</p><p>And, of course, there was the subject of the blood.</p><p>"Lunch... is ready," Her Mother said softly, placing down plates in front of each person, but she paused when she reached Sans. "Please can you lift up... your gloomy head so you can eat?"</p><p>As it turned out, her Mom was a Chef who especially loved to cook meat. She cut her own meat, as she wanted to ensure she had fresh ingredients. Thus, the blood.</p><p>And their voices were just deep, as they never wanted to interrupt people or disturb a room. They were also a bit shy as well, from what Sans could tell. Sammy was more outgoing, but her parents were quiet and introverted, but supportive.</p><p>Basically, Sans felt bad.</p><p>"Thank you," He said, lifting his head. "Again, I am so sorry."</p><p>"It's not your fault," Sammy's Dad said, smiling gently. "We... did offer a fright."</p><p>"I wish I could eat your cooking," Mal sighed, resting a hand against her face. "You're such a good cook."</p><p>"Perhaps one day," The woman spoke, smiling gently at the ghost.</p><p>That was another thing about their family, the fact that they could see her. Apparently, there was a ritual someone could do to see spirits, one that was quite simple.</p><p>And, of course, one they had done to Amber.</p><p>Amber's hand moved through Mal's ghost body, wiggling through the air slightly. When she stopped, she pulled to the side, before karate chopping through her body. Mal looked at her sister with a deadpanned expression.</p><p>"Are you going to stop?" Mal asked.</p><p>"In a moment," Amber said, cutting through the air again, this time with a fork. "Maybe a few minutes, actually."</p><p>Amber had been the one to drive Mal to Sammy's house, which was a problem. Just a slight, itsy bitsy problem.</p><p>Because Amber didn't know how to drive.</p><p>Sans could see the car from the window. It was half pulled into the driveway, half parked into the grass. Mal could have floated, but it would have been far too slow. Amber apparently had taken control, and used her pure instincts to drive with what little facts she had picked up over the years from watching. Mal had said she wasn't fantastic, but she did pretty decently. And the moment Amber was able to see her sister, Mal went off on a yelling spree about her driving irresponsibly. Sans was understandably upset, Amber only really knew what she did from watching people, and she took a giant risk driving a large vehicle she's had no training inside of. Not to mention, she had driven around ignorant to where Sammy's new house was, so she drove around until she recognized her car from her driveway. Or until she saw the only house with dark paint and Halloween costumes, it wasn't very hard to miss.</p><p>The car wasn't in great shape, as Amber hadn't made it the entire way without no instances. Before, the car was intact. Now, as Sans looked outside, he could see the front bumper missing and a dent on the front. He felt it was best for himself to stay ignorant to how that happened. But he made it clear that Amber was never to drive without any experience, that was incredibly dangerous. She's lucky there was only one dent and the bumper missing, that she hadn't taken her or someone else's life. Sans promised to take her out to get her temps when they got the chance, just with the agreement that she never do something that risky again.</p><p>Now that they had actually settled back and gotten the misunderstanding cleared up, Sans could see that Sammy and her family were actually really nice. Sure, they were into something unusual, but wasn't everyone? They weren't using their witchcraft to do any harm, they were just interested in spirits and wanted to explore that.</p><p>"Oh crap, this is really good," Sans muttered, digging into the food.</p><p>"Thank... thank you," The Mom said, sitting in her own spot at the table.</p><p>"Ugh, I missed your food so much," Amber groaned.</p><p>It seemed Sammy's Mom had prepared for Amber eating, as she had brought out a placemat for her lap and set it down before they had started their meal. They seemed to be completely comfortable with Amber and Mal, but with Sans they were somewhat hesitant and shy. The fact that he looked like Mal probably eased them a bit, as he technically was a part of Mal.</p><p>Amber was actually taking the ability to see her sister rather well. Probably because she already had time to process that her sister was now a ghost, and was too excited to see her to even be surprised. Once Mal's anger over the driving situation had been settled, they eagerly reconnected.</p><p>"Either Mal, you marry Sammy to get into this family so we can have food like this, or I'll give my custody from Sans to them," Amber muttered, taking a bite of her meat, unaware of the piece that fell to her lap.</p><p>Oh, that was right. Sammy definitely had a crush on Mal, and Mal had a crush on Sammy. And neither knew about each other.</p><p>Sans gently scooped a glob of ketchup ono his own food, smiling at Amber. Was this going to be another Undyne and Alphys situation?</p><p>"Dude, I'd marry her if she let me," Mal said, leaning against her arms and winking at Sammy. "Your bed is just upstairs."</p><p>Alright then, this was definitely not that type of situation. That's right, Mal wasn't a liar. She hated lying about anything, including her own crush. So...</p><p>That meant Sammy did know about her crush. So why haven't they hooked up yet?</p><p>"Haha," Sammy laughed nervously, "Boy, am I hungry!"</p><p>Just as she did in the coffee shop, Sammy started shoving large pieces of food into her mouth without any regards or hesitation. And, just as did did in the coffee shop, she suffered for her sudden outburst of a reaction and ended up choking on her food.</p><p>Was that why Sammy never did manage to get together with Mal? Everytime she was confronted by her emotions, she quickly sidestepped it to distract her and whoever else from the topic.</p><p>But Sans could really see the connection between Mal and Sammy. Both had a hard time making friends, in their own ways, which had helped them connect, just like Sans and Mal. However, they had a different dynamic. Sammy was eager to move on, just like Mal, and they obviously spent a lot of time together before Sammy moved. They easily flowed off of one another, Sammy providing a more positive outlook compared to Mal's brutal honesty. Yet she was embarrassed about her own crush, hiding away her emotions about that topic alone whenever she could.</p><p>For sure, there was one thing very clear about the two girls.</p><p>They were absolutely adorable together.</p><p>"Oh my God, ThumperStinkle! Yes!" Mal had said when Sammy showed her the deformed cow, bursting into a fit of excitement as the two girls gushed with one another.</p><p>In fact, the cow was still there. He had been set into his own seat, as if another member of their party. Sans didn't know the story behind the plush, and he wasn't going to ask. It was Mal and Sammy's thing, their inside joke. Just as...</p><p>"Sans, isn't this priceless?" Amber teased, holding out a knife.</p><p>Yeah, that joke.</p><p>"But, holy crap, I missed you so much," Mal said, leaning over as if she was lying on Sammy's lap. </p><p>"I missed you too! I hated moving here without you! It sucked, I couldn't make any new friends," Sammy said, "But now you're a ghost, which is even better because now I have a ghost friend. Ugh, I love Ceremonial magic so much!"</p><p>There was clear a passion was present for her witchcraft practices. It was an unusual thing to be interested in, but maybe that was because he was a monster. Monsters were made of magic, it was like being interested in something so usual and mundane that everyone did. Then again, she was human, humans weren't in tune with magic like monsters were. Either way, Sans wouldn't judge. As long as she didn't make him think she was about to sacrifice him again.</p><p>Not a good first meeting, that was for sure.</p><p>Other then the initial scare, though, Sammy was nice. She was considerate, and quickly apologized for the misunderstandings Sans had went through. And, of course, she was understandably upset before when she thought Mal had forgotten about their inside joke.</p><p>Either way, things were settled now. After they grabbed a bite, they would pack up, and start with their traveling of the world.</p><p>Amber grabbed the placemat from her lap and lifted it up, replacing the current placemat on the table. Then she started to eat the food from the second placemat as if it was a second meal. That was kind of smart, Sans should try that sometime.</p><p>"Wait, Mal," Sans said, pointing at the hand of hers that was ghosted through Sammy's. "I guess you could say... you're finally inside of Sammy."</p><p>With that remark, Amber burst into a fit of snorts, Mal chuckling. Sammy covered her mouth as she giggled, and her parents watched silently, giving Sans a thumbs up.</p><p>What a nice lunch.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>When time passed, it had ultimately come down to the moment where the three would depart from Sammy's house. The car thudded shut when Sans double checked for their items, finding them all there. Good.</p><p>They were ready to leave now.</p><p>Sans sat in the car, watching silently as Mal talked to Sammy. Sammy made a joke and they both laughed, the blonde woman nervously tucking a piece of her hair behind her ears, a blush following as she watched Mal laugh. Girl had it bad for her. <br/><br/>And Mal wasn't even being quiet about it, why was Sammy holding back?</p><p>"Well, I'll make sure to come back soon," Mal called out as she floated back towards the car.</p><p>"Wait, u-um..."</p><p>Sammy quickly paced up to the car, nervously fidgeting in her spot.</p><p>"I was thinking, since... you know... you guys are going to be traveling, and... um, well-"</p><p>Sans snorted, surprising everyone as he reached over and opened up the passengers seat door.</p><p>"Get in the car, ya doofus," Sans said, patting the seat next to him. "I packed some bags for you with your parents while you and Mal were flirting. Let's go!"</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 18 - Rooftop... Confession?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dog barking could be heard through the walls, muffled down, yet still ever present. Brown eyes blinked into the darkness with annoyance, sleep in their hotel inevitable to the girl. So she sat, blonde hair tumbling down her back with her movements.</p><p>It was a small hotel room they had bought for the night, and it was Sammy's first night outside of her house. She never had sleepovers, Mal's parents never did like her. That's why Mal always came over, her parents were terrible.</p><p>This was the first time she slept outside of her house, and it felt rather new. Liberating, in a sense. Sammy really did love her parents, they were awesome, but Sammy liked some excitement in her life. It was so much fun to be traveling now! Mal and her had always talked about it, but when the building collapsed onto her, her parents understandably moved and sued. The school, as it turned out, was not properly finished, and she had turned up to look at the ceiling when it collapsed, thus a nasty scar. Sammy counted her blessings, though. It didn't hit her eyes, so she wasn't blind, and now she had a really cool scar!</p><p>Sammy understood, though, that not everyone would come to appreciate her. Being a bisexual woman was tough enough for some people to understand, but being a witch was even worse. That was fine, everyone had their different opinions, she just wished they wouldn't act out and hurt others because of them. Making friends was much more difficult, that was for sure.</p><p>Darkness crept around her room as she pulled herself out of bed, huffing at another dog bark.</p><p>Sammy wasn't what people would believe a witch would be like. Sure, she liked dark clothing, but that didn't have any ties to her being involved in witchcraft. It was just a fashion choice, she liked wearing darker colors. Everyone always assumes that witches and witchcraft is about dead things and being evil, when that's pretty far from the truth. It was just accessing the magical abilities of both of the world and human souls.</p><p>Ceremonial magic was an aspect of witchcraft her and her parents focused on, and that was the magic of spirits and ritual magic. They didn't do anything bad with it, why would they? Their family was just more... shy, pretty much. Sammy was the only one who wasn't shy, quite the opposite of her parents. They liked the quiet neighborhood, the peaceful life of being the unusual, yet kind people on the street. Probably because of their experiences with other people.</p><p>It was difficult, but it was something they believed in.</p><p>Either way, this was fun! Finally getting out of her house, traveling from place to place with Amber and Mal, just like they always talked about!</p><p>As Sammy walked into the kitchen, she paused, noticing the scene. Right, it wasn't just her and the other two girls. There was one more to their party.</p><p>Sans was standing in the kitchen, wearing basketball shorts and a plain blue t-shirt. Yet, despite how regular his clothes were, somehow he looked like a goddess. Moonlight cascaded down onto his white hair, making it softly glow. When he turned, his pure blue eyes blinked innocently, sparking. Sans was admittedly really attractive, but the look didn't suit Mal. That's why Sammy didn't like it. Before, when she had thought he was Mal, it felt wrong. No wonder she felt off, because she could sense something was different. Mal and Sans were bound together by their souls, of course it'd feel different.</p><p>"Oh, hey," Sans said, squirting more ketchup onto a spoon. "The dog kept you awake, I'm guessing?"</p><p>"Yeah," Sammy answered, "It kept you awake, too?"</p><p>"Nah," Sans said, shaking his head. "Other reasons."</p><p>Sammy nodded, glancing at the other bedroom. Through the open door she could see Amber snoring away, the upper half of her body dangling out of the bed, strands of her brown hair caught inside of her mouth.</p><p>"Where's Mal?" Sammy asked.</p><p>"On the roof. She's watching the scenery."</p><p>"Ah."</p><p>That sounded like Mal. They had driven out for a good distance, and now were in a more country based town, with hills rolling out as far as the eye could see. Mal always liked to travel, she loved views.</p><p>"I have a question," Sammy said, gesturing to Sans. "Are you... Well, are you a boy or girl? I'm not sure what to think of you as."</p><p>"I still am a boy, that's for sure," Sans said, "But once I got used to all of the new features of being a girl, I don't mind being a girl. I wouldn't say I'm genderless, but... I don't really want to label myself. There's not exactly a good label for my situation, really. When talking to other people who don't know, I think being called her might avoid confusion."</p><p>Sammy nodded. Sans seemed like a nice guy, but their meeting wasn't exactly a good one. Man, did she make the wrong impression. She felt really bad about that, they probably scared the pants off of him!</p><p>"Now my turn for a question." Sans leaned against the counter, pouring more ketchup. "How come you don't date Mal? She told you she likes you, didn't she?"</p><p>"Yeah, before I moved away. She told me the moment she felt that way."</p><p>
  <em>"Hey."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sammy had turned to find Mal having stopped in on the sidewalk, her bookbag hanging between her fingers on the way back from school.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's fine if you don't feel the same way," Mal said, "And we can keep being friends, I don't mind if that happens. You're entitled to your own feelings, just as I am. But Sammy, I just realized I am madly in love with you."</em>
</p><p>"That's how she confessed to you?" Sans asked, "What did you say?"</p><p>"I um..." Sammy grasped a piece of hair, turning it nervously. "I didn't say anything, I kind of... jumped into a trashcan."</p><p>Sans blinked. "You jumped into my self esteem?"</p><p>A snort escaped, followed by a giggle at his joke. He was good with jokes and puns, that was for sure. But he was a new person in her life, and she wasn't sure how to feel about him. He was nice, at least. And funny.</p><p>"But why don't you tell her how you feel?" Sans asked, "Mal's made it clear she'd love to date you."</p><p>"Because, well..."</p><p>Sammy continued to twirl the hair as the dog barked yet again. Sans' soft, calm smile was ever present. How did he do that? He always looked to laid back and carefree, pale skin practically glowing. If he wasn't in Mal's body, she would have assumed this person was an angel. Now that she knew Sans wasn't Mal, Sammy was looking at him differently as his own person.</p><p>Either way, he was still a hot girl, but Sammy liked Mal.</p><p>"I don't want to hold her back."</p><p>"Hold her back?"</p><p>"Do you know how difficult it is for women to get good managing jobs?" Sammy asked, "Not only is Mal a girl, she's also latino, and a lesbian. Do you realize how much that could hold her back? People keep saying sexism and racism doesn't exist, but it does, She got called really bad slurs in school sometimes. Once, when she told a teacher what she wanted to do for a living, she was laughed at for a solid minute. Not mention homophobia, some people won't hire anyone that's gay or a certain race. Imagine how many things she already has to face! And I know how much she's wanted to manage her own company, to be a Boss. It's already bad enough that she deals with all of that." Sammy chewed on her lip from annoyance. "But if I were her girlfriend, it'd be so much worse for her. I really do love her, but I can't go out with her. I'm a witch, I like dark clothes, I'm bisexual. Having a stupid witch girlfriend would just ensure she's fired."</p><p>"Holy crap, that's why?" Sans asked, "That's... Yeah, that's brutal."</p><p>"Don't you get it? Weren't you a monster before?" Sammy asked, "I know there's some racism between humans and monsters still."</p><p>"Just because you don't fit the conventional ideal of a girl doesn't mean that you're not entitled to be happy," Sans said.</p><p>"But that doesn't mean my happiness should cost her dream!" Sammy said, "I want her to succeed, but I know the problems of me being... well, believing what I do believe. I like practicing witchcraft, I carry knives on me for that. Mal's been talking about managing people for years, it wouldn't be right for me to ruin that. She faces enough challenges as it is."</p><p>"Holy crap, you are too nice," Sans said, "But you really shouldn't do that. Go tell Mal."</p><p>"So I can ruin her dreams? Sans, I-"</p><p>"Sammy, she's already dead."</p><p>There was a pause before Sammy burst up with excitement, finally piecing together what Sans meant. Mal was a ghost, she, they-</p><p>"MALLLLLLL!" Sammy yelled like an excited toddler, overruling the dog's barking with her own voice before she burst into the hall.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>A screech of her name broke through the sound of a gentle silent night, drawing Mal away from the scenery. What the heck?</p><p>Sammy burst onto the roof through the open doors. However, she stopped when she noticed Mal, panting slightly.</p><p>"Mal, I- Oh crap."</p><p><br/>Sammy leaned over herself, placing her hands onto her knees and wheezed.</p><p>"I ran up the stairs, there was no elevator," Sammy said, taking rushed breaths. "Oh my gosh, I'm out of shape. I- Give me a minute."</p><p>"Are you fine mentally?" Mal asked, "Because none of us have been fine mentally recently, it seems."</p><p>"I- Not physically!" Sammy wheezed, "Running was a mistake. Wait, no, it was for love, it's okay."</p><p>"Love?"</p><p>"Yeah, I-"</p><p>Sammy straightened, looking at Mal. <br/><br/>"I've been avoiding it for years, and... Mal, I've been madly in love with you for a long time. Seriously, I've edited fanfictions I found online to our names instead, it's really bad."</p><p>"I know, I've read them," Mal said, smiling at her. "Just so you know, 1234 is not a good password."</p><p>"Did you read the stranger one?" Sammy asked quietly.</p><p>"Yes, with the... tentacles." Mal coughed into her hand. "You find some weird stuff online."</p><p>"That's actually pretty standard for some fanfiction and hen- I'm going to shut up now." Sammy nervously started to twist her hair. "Do you think we can... hold on, I ran too much. I'm so out of shape, whew. So, can we- you know, both of us-"</p><p>"I'm a ghost, Sammy. I can't do anything with you."</p><p>"Darn it," Sammy muttered, "I've been waiting for years."</p><p>"I do fully intend to one day do it, but not right now," Mal said, "One day. And I will top, according to your many stories."</p><p>"How many did you, um, read?"</p><p>"Too many, Sammy. Too many."</p><p>"Dude, can I read one?"</p><p>The sharp third voice picked up, making the two females turned. Amber had been the one who had spoke, a few cheerios falling from her hand to the floor. Both her and Sans her sticking out from the rooftop door, a box of cheerios between them as they ate it dry.</p><p>"Get out!" Mal screeched.</p><p>"Okay," Sans said, stepping <em>out </em>onto the roof.</p><p>"Oh my god, I'm so embarrassed," Sammy muttered, covering her beat red face.</p><p>"Hey, I didn't get an answer to my question," Amber said. </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 19 - A Peaceful Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Now that the group had a chance to spend more time together, everyone was a bit closer. That mainly applied to Sans and Sammy, though, as they didn't have the connection everyone else had before. Mal and Sans had a good head start, especially with being bedridden, it only gave the two the option to talk. Then there was Amber, but Sans and her had gotten along. Now, with some time, Sans and Sammy were friends now. None of them were strangers anymore.</p><p>Maybe that wasn't necessarily a good thing. They were four people with no supervision, a lot of money, and no destination in mind. Things were going to get crazy.</p><p>Sammy was their driver, and they all had forced her to promise not to drive unsafely. She liked to sing to the radio songs, and by that, she sung to every single song. No one else ever joined in. Sans didn't like to sing, Amber looked like she'd rather die, and Mal was too busy watching her girlfriend to participate. And since Sammy was the driver, she kicked Sans and Amber to the back to let Mal sit in the front with her. That resulted in the back being the snack horde where Sans and Amber would just eat food non-stop. That was something the two bonded over, they really liked food.</p><p>When they weren't on the road, they were stopping places to do things. Once they stopped at a german restaurant and sat down, but then stole all of the butter packets on the table and promptly left. Whoever had their rented room would find a surprise of butter packets in the fridge. What a nice gift.</p><p>One of the bigger problems was that Sans got hit on. Constantly. Now that he was in public a lot more, people always walked up and hit on him. Why wouldn't they? He was a hot girl with attractive clothes, if they didn't hit on him they at least stared. It was a bit distracting, especially whenever he tried to order food and almost always got a phone number written on his order with a 'call me' attached.</p><p>The biggest change, though, had to be Amber and her clothing. She liked to design clothes, and now that she finally had the chance, she was.</p><p>And, of course, she needed people to wear her clothes.</p><p>Mal was a no, for obvious reasons. Sammy was a no because she wore specific types of clothes, mainly consisting of black and grey. So, of course, that left Sans to be her guinea pig.</p><p>"Ow."</p><p>Since none of them really knew where to buy the necessary materials needed for creating clothes, so Amber didn't have any mannequins or anything to prop her clothes onto to finish up specific details. Thus, she did the finer details while Sans was wearing the outfit.</p><p>It was a simple design, with a pattern covered t-shirt and shorts with rugged edges, but whenever she made a specific detail on them, she ended up poking Sans. He was standing in the middle of their newly rented hotel room, arms open wide as he let Amber continuously poke at him. Why was he letting her do this?</p><p>Oh, right, because she was his friend and he let himself suffer for his friends and family.</p><p>But this wasn't his old life, it was a new one, for all of them. They were going to explore out and see what made them happy, this was for themselves now. Mal and Sammy were finally dating, Amber had a chance to buy real fabric and finally pursue her dreams. They were all free, exploring, happy.</p><p>"I don't get this, all the cat girl does is just get her friends into trouble, and then they apologize to her?" Mal asked, pointing to the screen.</p><p>"That's mean!" Sammy said, "This anime isn't good at all!"</p><p>"It's what Alphys loved, I dunno what to say," Sans said, "I'm not big on anime myself."</p><p>"I'm not a full on anime person, but Black Butler will always be my favorite," Sammy said, "Did she at least like that?"</p><p>"Oh, I'm not sure." Sans shrugged. "We didn't get many anime in the Underground. We had to look through a dump the humans used just to get some of your stuff, that might have been why Alphys loved it so much, it was one of the few anime we could watch. I know she started to binge all of the new anime she found, but she likes more cutesy stuff over plot relevance."</p><p>"None of the characters even die, I mean... just one?" Sammy said.</p><p>Sammy liked more darker stories, and Mal liked more intellectually challenging stories. Sans found Sammy quite funny, as she loved more darker things, but she was such a sweetheart as well.</p><p>"Yeah, and no death? What about the plot?" Mal demanded, pointing to the screen.</p><p>"Ow!" Sans jumped under a poke.</p><p>"Stop moving!" Amber said, pointing at him.</p><p>"I wasn't, you made me move! I was just doing sew fine until you poked- ow! That was on purpose!"</p><p>"Stop saying puns when I'm making clothes!"</p><p>"Really, that's putting a skele-ton of pressure onto me," Sans said, "Do I even have enough backbone? It did tickle my funnybone, that was for sure, and tibia honest I- Ow okay, you got me. I surrender."</p><p>"Just one character death, please," Sammy asked, "Something to make this interesting."</p><p>Sans outstretched his arms above his head, looking at the ceiling between his fingers. As much as he enjoyed hanging out with them, this couldn't go on forever. Summer would end, and Amber would have to go to school again. But none of them knew what kind of job they'd want, and the money wouldn't last forever. Was it a mistake to give Papyrus that cash? Or was it a mistake to think they'd be able to float forever on it? This couldn't go on forever, but Sans had no idea what his dream job was!</p><p>It was funny, Sans didn't have to worry for a good time, yet he was still worried. The money was going to last awhile, but not forever. What if-</p><p>"Done!" Amber bounced back up, looking at her outfit she designed. "I can't wait to stare at it enough until I hate it. Want to go for a test run?"</p><p>"What do you mean test run?" Sans asked.</p><p>"As in, we can go out, walk around... buy me some ice cream?" Amber shot finger guns at him. "Like strawberry?"</p><p>"We all know mango is better!" Mal said, turning towards her.</p><p>"Vanilla, it's best plain!" Sammy said.</p><p>"It's okay, we can settle this like adults," Amber said, holding out her arms. "We'll simply go out and buy the ice cream and eat it."</p><p>"You convinced me, kid," Sans said, walking to the counter to grab his keys. "Let's go. You guys are fine with waiting for us?"</p><p>"Don't f*ck on the couch," Amber told them as she followed Sans towards the exit.</p><p>"Amber!" Sammy screeched, covering her blushing face.</p><p>"We would if we could," Mal said, "But you two have fun. Don't hook up with anyone, Sans."</p><p>"Too late," Sans said, placing a hand on the wall. "I'm dating Mr. Wall and it's going great, I'm pregnant with four children and we're going to become republicans."</p><p>"Do you even know what republications are, Sans?" Mal asked, "Monsters are led by a King."</p><p>"I have no idea," Sans snorted.</p><p>"C'mon skeleton dude, I'll teach ya about our screwed up Government," Amber said, grabbing his elbow and dragging him out of the hotel room.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>"... And that's why you always vote," Amber said.</p><p>A glob of ice cream was scooped up, Sans taking a bite of the blueberry flavored ice cream. Humans, as Sans had found out, had ice cream instead of nice cream. Why was it called ice cream? Nice cream sounded more friendly. And, as it turned out, humans didn't have as many flavors as monsters. Blueberry ice cream was common, and this was the first shop Sans found that even served it.</p><p>"Humans make things so complicated," Sans said, grabbing the ketchup from the table.</p><p>"Is ketchup even good on ice cream?" Amber asked, looking at it.</p><p>"I like ketchup, I'll eat it with anything," Sans said, shrugging as he squirted it out to spell out the word 'Gay' over his bowl, then turned it to show Amber.</p><p>"Dude, nice." She adjusted the second bowl on her lap. "And I just realized I'm the only straight person in our group."</p><p>Sunlight beat in through the ice cream shop, a few people looking at Sans. The skeleton ignored them, instead turning to see the beach out of the window.</p><p>"At least you don't need pride," Sans said, "But, random question, do you think your sister would want to go see the beach? Go swimming?"</p><p>"Probably, yeah. We could do that."</p><p>Before either of them could say anything, a guy was walking up to Sans, leaning his arm against Sans' seat.</p><p>"Hey girl," He said, "How about you and me go out back to my place? I could pin you to the bed and show you a good time."</p><p>Amber, being the cool friend she was, responded first.</p><p>"Dude, I'm 15," She said, "Pedo dude."</p><p>"No, I wasn't-"</p><p>"Stop hitting on my sister and shoo," Sans said, waving his ketchup covered spoon at the man, "Or I'll report to the cops."</p><p>That scared off the guy pretty quickly. He had been hitting on Sans, but it was easiest to scare off the men that did it. Not all guys hit on him badly, some were actually cool about being turned down, and didn't start off so repulsive. This guy was not one of the cooler guys, he was already talking about sexual things. Which Sans didn't get. Maybe because he was a skeleton, but as a human he didn't get the appeal of sex, even though he could participate in it now.</p><p>"Nice dodge, kid," Sans said, "You want another bowl of ice cream?"</p><p>"Nah, I got a second bowl right here," Amber said, lifting the second bowl from her lap onto the table. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 20 - Beach Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Amber knew how it felt to confess to something she barely could tell herself. That immense fear, prickling away at one's chest, squeezing who you are into nothing but a battered soul on the ground.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For Amber, there never was a question to her sexuality. While designing woman's clothes were fun, she never found herself yearning for a female. She was straight, and that was fine.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But she never did see Mal's sudden breakdown coming. It was sudden, as was the yelling. Yelling was never anything new within their house, but the confession of one's sexuality was. Amber could remember seeing Mal's face, flushed red, jabbing a finger at their Mother. There was a lot of yelling, but the focus of the conversation had been one of being gay. A shock to Amber, as she listened from her room, her video game long forgotten. Then, there was stomping, and a door slamming.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was later when Amber went to see if her sister was alright, and it was the first time she saw Mal so... vulnerable. Mal always yelled back, she always stood her ground. This was the first time she retreated, and this was the first time she was hiding to cry.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Green eyes blinked, the emeralds looking ever so shattered from the experience. Amber never had a battle of sexuality, she wouldn't understand.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That didn't mean she couldn't help.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I brought you some dinner, and a talk buddy, if you're interested," Amber said, dancing her shoulders slightly to ease the tension. "If you don't wanna, I'll just go... but you know, dinner. Food's good, you should eat food."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You heard, didn't you?" Mal asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, when you scream 'Mom, I'm gay', I can kind of hear," Amber said, shaking the plate. "Yes or no?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No thanks, I stole Mom's food."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Amber walked over, taking a bite of the burger she had snagged out of the kitchen for Mal. "You know Mom's going to kill you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know. That's why I stole her food."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How long have you known?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Awhile. It's just hard to accept, and it's even harder when you have no support. I'm not broken, I'm not stupid. I just like different people, why is that so hard for some people to understand. Just because I'm a girl and I like girls?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Mom will come around," Amber said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mal narrowed her eyes at Amber.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, that ain't going to happen," Amber muttered, "But she'll get it one day, won't she?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She won't get it if she doesn't want to," Mal muttered, falling back against the bed. "That's the problem. Some people are happy being angry, and don't care, much less try to inform themselves. Mom and Dad won't change, they don't want to. And I'll never have any support from my family because I'm a lesbain."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I thought you were American."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mal paused, looking at the ceiling before she connected the reference, laughing. "We're not even American, you idiot."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's still a good joke," Amber said, "Don't diss my references to jokes that aren't mine. But um... you have support from me. And just because we're all related doesn't mean we have to stick with them."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And do what?" Mal asked, "I barely have any money for college, and I have nowhere to go when I turn 18 in a few days."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's not true."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Amber was a fashion fanatic, even when her sister came out so long ago. Amber was nowhere as experienced, she could barely even make a sock, but she still followed fashion things online.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"There's this guy who just got accepted into a school of fashion for free, with transport and everything paid for because of his talent. You have really high exam scores, maybe you can do what he did."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mal was the one who, based on that little information, managed to piece together her future plans. That's how the two found themselves huddled near her phone, realizing the possibilities she had. Amber was excited for her sister, and the deal was set. Mal had applied and gotten accepted, she'd go while working a part time job to pay the little fees she had to. Then, she'd get a job. Once Amber herself turned 18, she would go with her sister, and they'd never see their parents again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Amber really did support her. She didn't understand what it was like to be gay, but that didn't matter. She loved Mal, and she would support her. Even as she stood in the driveway, listening to her parents practically disown her sister, she was happy for her. She just wished she could be more happy for her own situation.</em>
</p><p>To think this all started by Mal coming out.</p><p>Amber straightened in front of the mirror, tightening a hairband into her trapped hair, sealing it into a bun. Amber never expected this route to take place. Would any of this even happened if Mal never came out? She wouldn't have gotten the idea to leave to be accepted, she would have never been stabbed on a street. Sans would have never taken her body.</p><p>It was so obvious the woman in that church was not her sister. Mal was confident, and had been through battle after battle to have a cold, determined attitude. She didn't lose control to anger, she knew herself, and she knew the truth. The person with the white hair, blue eyes, and lazy, uncertain smile was not her sister.</p><p>But Sans was a good guy, and he had his own attitude for going about things. He was more calm, he never liked to throw himself into situations. However, he was fun to hang out with. Sans was like that chill older brother, the one who'd sneak you out to do things. They shared a passion for food and for jokes, and they both cared about Mal and Sammy. They were good friends. Now, when Amber looked at him, she didn't see her possessed sisters body. She just saw Sans.</p><p>"Um, Amber... are you sure about this?"</p><p>One thing that Amber had learned was that the skeleton was not confident in himself. At all. Mal always was, she never lied to anyone, including herself. She knew her strengths and weaknesses, so she was confident in her abilities. Amber, while sometimes struggling under her parents, was quick with words, and she was pretty decent at making clothes. Sammy, while hesitant about her love, was confident about her hobbies. She never was embarrassed about her witchcraft or her love for darker clothes, she just wished society was more accepting.</p><p>Sans, though, wasn't very confident in himself. Amber couldn't tell too much, but she was observant. He clearly was working on it, as he was working on getting his own happiness, but she could see whenever his thoughts got ahead of himself. Falling silent, his blue eyes would stare at a wall, and Amber could practically see his brain overworking itself.</p><p>"Come out, let me see."</p><p>The bathroom stall pushed open, and out stepped Sans in all of his glory. His white hair was pulled into a ponytail, two blue clips that Amber had bought brought his right blue eye into view. That was a weird thing his hair did, it always grew out over his right eye to cover it. Not hiding it entirely, but making it harder to see. Now, with the hair pushed aside, it was out in the open.</p><p>Sans looked so much more open like this. Not only with the hair now out of his face, making it more visible, but without his usual baggy clothes he looked so different. Amber almost stepped back from the shock, realizing how much he was pulling off her bathing suit she had made.</p><p>It was blue, matching his eyes, with some strips across the bikini top. A thin and see through certain was added to the bottom, dangling off of the sides and going to his knees. The see through material was just an add on over the fabric, though. Amber would not make a bikini out of see through fabric, the fabric was on top of the thick bathing suit material already in place. That'd be something weird to make someone possessing her sisters body wear.</p><p>"Oh sh*t, you can't go out like that!" Amber said, "We want to go swimming, not get more guys to ask you out!"</p><p>"Oh no," Sans said, hugging his arms against his bare shoulders when he caught sight of the mirror. "Oh no, I'm super hot!"</p><p>"You're always hot, Sans!" Amber said, "You need to tone it down!"</p><p>"I can't control it!" Sans objected.</p><p>"I mean... if I do post this on the fashion blog I'd get some more <em>views</em>," Amber muttered to herself before she looked back up. "But I'm joking, you can't control your looks. Just try to scare away the guys."</p><p>"Thanks for the expert advice," Sans said, "Why do I have to wear a bathing suit and you get to wear your normal clothes?"</p><p>"Because I'm not the person modeling my clothes," Amber said, looking down at her phone once more.</p><p>Sans shifted on his feet, looking at the mirror hesitantly.</p><p>"How about I just get a few pictures on the beach, then you can go change?" Amber suggested, "I don't wanna make you too uncomfortable."</p><p>"Yeah, that sounds good," Sans said, giving a thumbs up. "I need to be shore of myself."</p><p>"That pun was-"</p><p>"Don't you dare."</p><p>"Pretty priceless."</p><p>"I hate you."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Sammy tucked beneath the shade of the umbrella. Sunscreen squirted out into her hand with a squeeze, spreading more onto her legs.</p><p>"Are you even going to go swimming?" Mal asked.</p><p>"Not unless there's sharks," Sammy said, squinting at the horizon. "What's the point if there isn't any danger or risk?"</p><p>"We're on a beach, we should do beach things," Mal hummed, floating with her legs crossed. "Sans and Amber are taking forever, and we can't make out... hm, collect shells? Nah... I'm always swimming in air, so no to that..."</p><p>Mal continued to tap the bottom of her chin, trying to think of ideas. Sammy, on the other hand, continued to lather herself in sunscreen. Tans weren't her thing.</p><p>"I do love the view, it looks awesome," Mal said, "I just wish I could be here physically with you."</p><p>"If only," Sammy said, "But I like to watch views with you. It's nice."</p><p>"It is," Mal said, floating closer to Sammy. "Not as pretty as you, though."</p><p>"I was just about to say that!" Sammy pouted at her girlfriend. "How dare you."</p><p>"I do dare."</p><p>The beach wasn't overly crowded, so the view wasn't covered, but there was still enough people for it to not be empty. Sunlight crept around the clouds, making the sand sparkle in the afternoon. It looked nice with the sunset, which was why they decided to go later in the day. People always crowded the beach in the hot mornings, but when the sun was setting, they tended to leave, which meant the beach was more open. A hue of pink and orange blended with the blue sky, creating a sight to behold as the sun settled behind the waves of the ocean.</p><p>"Your parents would love to set up a barbeque here," Mal said, gesturing to the sand around them. "Imagine that. When it gets dark, no one's here, we could lit up some torches or set up some lights, and your Mom could cook while your Dad swims."</p><p>"That would be so cool, swimming at the ocean past sunset!" Sammy said, "It's so much more dangerous, that'd be so intense and fun!"</p><p>"I seriously love your parents, we need to get married so they can be my parents," Mal said, winking at Sammy.</p><p>Sammy huffed, looking away with a blushing face, words lost. Mal laughed, leaning back midair. Sand crunched as footsteps approached, and the two looked over expecting it to be Sans and Amber, but were surprised to find something, or someone, else.</p><p>"Hello!" The man said, hugging his darker hands together. "Are you a local here?"</p><p>"Oh, no, just a tourist," Sammy said, shifting her bag of witchcraft items behind her.</p><p>Okay, maybe she was waiting for sunset to perform a ritual. It was fun to perform beach rituals, the sand was easy to draw on. Not to mention candles couldn't catch anything on fire, it was a pretty convenient.</p><p>"Same! Well, I wouldn't consider myself a tourist, more of an explorer of sorts! I don't tour, I admire, and get to know!" The man said, "But isn't the view amazing?"</p><p>"It is!" Sammy said.</p><p>"Who is this guy?" Mal asked, leaning against her hand.</p><p>"Who are you?" Sammy asked.</p><p>"Oh, oh, my bad!" He said, "Sorry! I always get so excited to talk to people that I forget to introduce myself! I just love talking to people and connecting, it's so much fun. I'm just someone who's been looking for inspiration, and I was wondering if you have any recommendations. Locals tend to have more pride, and if I found a local, they could talk to me about the heart of this town."</p><p>"Inspiration? For what?" Sammy asked.</p><p>The man went to reply, but was cut off by a loud yell.</p><p>"Holy f*cking sh*t!" Amber screeched from the side.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>The sudden pierce of her voice made Sans whip his head towards the usually calmer girl, not expecting Amber to sudden have an outburst.</p><p>She looked to be visibly shaking from utter excitement, her eyes sparkling more than the sand under the sunset. Amber looked at Sans, then pointed at the guy standing next to Sammy, shaking her head back and forth between them.</p><p>"Um...?" Sans was at a loss of words.</p><p>"That- That's- Holy sh*t, that's-" Amber said.</p><p>"Words, Amber," Sans said, "Don't go making sh*t angels and just tell me-"</p><p>"That's Wilbert Palakiko!" Amber yelled, jabbing her hand at him.</p><p>"Okay?" Sansa blinked a few times, "Cool?"</p><p>"No, you don't understand!"</p><p>Amber grabbed Sans' bare shoulders. Sans looked down at the teenage girl, confused.</p><p>"That's Wilbert Palakiko! He's a famous fashion designer and he's talking to Sammy! He's here, and he's famous and his clothes are awesome and he's my inspiration and he is a god of a man!"</p><p>As she ranted, she started to shake Sans, making his head and hair flop back and forth rapidly. Sans tried to stabilize himself, unsuccessful as Amber had a fan freak out.</p><p>Then, she finally stopped, almost shoving him back before she briskly turned towards the man, sprinting towards him. Sans decided to follow, unsure what to say.</p><p>So this guy was her inspiration? Probably a role model, no wonder she was freaking out.</p><p>As Amber had ran, she had a head start. Soon, she was stopping in her tracks right in front of the man, giving a giddy grin.</p><p>"Oh my god, you're a fan?" He asked, looking just as giddy! "I love meeting fans! Hi!"</p><p>"I am, this is so awesome!" Amber said, frantically shaking his hand.</p><p>"It is!" He seemed to have as much energy as she did, looking like he was going to start jumping up and down.</p><p>Sans started to grow closer, and could make out more details. The guy looked to be Hawaiin, with his longer dark brown hair pulled into a short ponytail, and sparkling brown eyes looking at his fan adoringly. Instead of looking annoyed, he looked joyed to see a fan, just as happy to interact with her as she was with him.</p><p>"I love your work! Seriously, your make such amazing clothes!" Amber said, "I'm Amber, I make clothes to! Like these!"</p><p>Amber snatched onto Sans' arm before he could even squeak, shoving him into the front.</p><p>"I made the bathing suit!" Amber said.</p><p>"Oh, oh my," The man said.</p><p>Suddenly, the man was cupping Sans' cheeks, leaning forward.</p><p>"Her eyes are beautiful, like a crisp sapphire! And her skin is so soft and white, her hair matches a snowy day! Mysterious, calming, but alluring... the blue bathing suit brings out her calm nature, letting the bird of her soul flutter!"</p><p>Sans' face burned with a blush, peeling his eyes from the man's. His hands on his cheeks were warm. "U-Um..."</p><p>"You're beautiful, such is her soul," He spoke softly, "So calm, controlled, but sparkles nevertheless. Your clothing matches her, and you bring out her inner beauty, such as clothes do. She is like a fragrant winter day, with soft snowflakes bellowing across the empty white canvas, sparkling under the moon for only those with keen eyes to watch."</p><p>If Sans wasn't blushing intensely before, he was now. The skeleton eyed the bathroom they had just left. Maybe he could run there, right? He felt so bare and open, like this guy was piercing his soul. It was weird, and it was embarrassing.</p><p>"Uh, that's pretty cool of you, you're hitting the tip of the iceberg there," Sans said, backing out of his warm hands to give him some finger guns.</p><p>The man giggled happily, looking at Sans with an adoring smile that made him want to crawl into a trashcan where he belonged.</p><p>"Why don't we take some photos and put them onto my website?" He asked, looking at Amber.</p><p>"W- I- Really?" Amber asked.</p><p>Mal peaked out from behind the man, remaining silent like Sammy as she gave Sans a face. He returned it, unable to wash away his blush.</p><p>"Of course! You made an excellent bathing suit on such a perfect person, you tailored it to specifically show her beautiful snow day! I can see the love behind your craft, you are going to become an excellent fashion designer!" Wilbert said, pulling out his phone. "My photographer isn't here, but I'd love to take some pictures!"</p><p>Amber looked like she was going to explode, her grin stretched so wide it had to hurt. She nodded so fast her head might pop off.</p><p>"Yes, yes!" Amber said.</p><p>"Aw, Amber, I'm so proud!" Sammy said, clapping as she finally added something.</p><p>"Um..."</p><p>Sans shifted on his feet, feeling so bare and open. He never wore this little clothes, it felt unusual.</p><p>"What is your name, dear?" He asked.</p><p>"Uh... Sans."</p><p>"Sans, you are a diamond to be discovered," Wilbert said, giving a soft, reassuring smile. "Your inner beauty outshines your outer beauty, both complimenting each other so well that you sparkle. Yet you remain on a snowy night, for only the moon and stars to admire you. You are beautiful, and Amber had captured that beauty with her clothing. No need to be ashamed of your beauty, as it shines from within."</p><p>Sans squeaked, covering his face with his hands. Why was this guy saying all of this, Sans felt so embarrassed! He had a certain charm and energy about him, and his soft spoken, confident words almost made Sans want to drop dead from how embarrassed he was. Who even spoke like that?</p><p>The guy wasn't just calling him attractive, he was admiring Sans' personality. And he liked his puns! Was this death? Sans was pretty sure he was dying. No one's ever complimented him like this before and it was killing him, why was this guy so nice?</p><p>Before he knew it, Sans was being set up to take pictures, his bare feet digging into the sand. The skeleton distracted himself by wiggling his toes in it, enjoying the feeling of something being covered. Sans didn't like to be bare like this, out in the open, and now pictures were being taken of him? Was this his personal hell? Maybe he did die, and now finally the torture was kicking in.</p><p>This guy was being unusual, that was for sure. But he was a fashion designer, so maybe this was just how they all were? No, Amber wasn't like this. Why did he practically talk poetry when he looked at Sans?</p><p>Wilbert. The man was standing next to Amber in front of him, a little distance, explaining to her some thing about fashion and photography. Waves crept up behind him, crashing against the sand. He hugged his white arms against his chest, looking down at the sand. He was doing this for Amber.</p><p>"Hey."</p><p>Sans was looking up, finding Wilbert's face on him.</p><p>"What's your favorite food?"</p><p>What? Favorite food? Where did that come from?</p><p>"Um..." Sans looked off to the side, "I'd say ketchup."</p><p>"Ketchup? How come?"</p><p>"Well..."</p><p>Sans tucked his arms behind his body.</p><p>"It's pretty good, I like the taste, It lets me ketchup with the past, heh."</p><p>"What's your favorite memory of ketchup?"</p><p>"Oh, the first time I ate it. I used to work at this hot dog stand, and I had bottles of ketchup, so I decided to try eating some since I never had the chance." Sans smiled tenderly at the memory, looking up at Wilbert. "It was awesome, I drank the entire bottle, then I had another. I ended up eating all of the ketchup, so everyone had only mustard covered hotdogs."</p><p>"That sounds amazing!" Wilbert said, lowering his phone. "And your photo looks perfect, Sans."</p><p>"Photo?"</p><p>Wilbert walked up, tilting the camera towards Sans. The guy must have taken a photo while Sans was distracted.</p><p>Was that really him?</p><p>The sunset behind him was the perfect backdrop, making his skin and hair shine and practically glow. His arms were crossed behind his back, and he was giving a soft, pure smile, his hair drifting in the wind.</p><p>Suddenly, Wilbert dropped to the ground, Amber eagerly following like an excited puppy and Sammy a little slower, holding the black umbrella over her head. Patting the sand next to him, Wilbert had Sans sit down next to him.</p><p>"You're just a little camera shy," Wilbert said, "Why don't you talk to me about how you three feel about one another?"</p><p>"Four," Mal corrected, but had went unheard due to her ghostly nature.</p><p>"Through a friend," Sans said.</p><p>"We've been traveling around," Amber said, "But dude, seriously, this is awesome!"</p><p>"Traveling is so much fun!" Wilbert said, "I've been traveling around a lot, too. Looking for inspiration for my clothes. What's your name, dear?"</p><p>"Oh, Sammy," She said, giving a large grin. "I'm not into clothes, so don't include me in this conversation."</p><p>"Just because you're not interested doesn't mean you can't participate and bond," Wilbert said, offering her a smile. "Everyone has their own interests, and that doesn't mean we all can't be friends!"</p><p>"Hell yeah," Amber said, "I mean, we're pretty cool friends. Can I just say that you are awesome and I'd follow you to the end of the world?"</p><p>"Oh my gosh," Sans chuckled at Amber.</p><p>It was nice to see her this excited and passionate. No wonder, her idol is sitting right next to her and offering to post her stuff on his page to give her exposure. That was an amazing opportunity!</p><p>"There we go!"</p><p>Sans turned his head to Wilbert before he found himself looking at his phone, watching it lower. Ah, another photo.</p><p>"You're natural smile is beautiful, it brings out your beauty even more," Wilbert said, giving Sans a smile of his own. "Have you considered becoming a model?"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>Sammy was looking at Sans wide eyed, surprised by what Wilbert just said. Mal looked shocked as well, but Amber looked like her head was going to explode.</p><p>"I've been looking for a new model, and I think you'd do fantastic," Wilbert said, tilting his head. "Your very beautiful, and you could come to Paris with me."</p><p>"Are- are you serious?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Of course!" Wilbert said.</p><p>He reached into one of his pockets, fumbling slightly before he was pulling out a card. Amber was silently freaking out in her spot.</p><p>"The pay is good, and you could travel the world with me, expenses paid for," Wilbert said, handing the card to Sans. "I know you'll need time to make a decision, but that's my number. Amber could come and study under me as well, I don't mind if Sammy tags along either."</p><p>A honk broke out across the beach, a car from the parking lot catching their attention.</p><p>"Oh, that's my ride!" Wilbert said.</p><p>The man climbed up from the sand, looking back one last time at Sans.</p><p>"But, just think about it, Sans." He offered a toothy smile. "Goodbye, I can't wait until we meet again!"</p><p>And just like that, he was off, heading towards the parked car, leaving Sans sitting alone with his three friends, holding a card awkwardly.</p><p>Become a model?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 21 - Late Night Talk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A model.</p><p>Was this happening?</p><p>Never in his life did Sans ever consider he was going to become a model. It was never a thought that crossed to him, and yet here he was. Clutching a flimsy card between his fingers, staring down at it like it was unreal.</p><p>This all felt so unreal. One moment Sans had been walking down a dark street. The next, he was here, surrounded by people who he cared about, traveling the world with no destination in mind. But becoming a model?</p><p>It was odd, that was for sure. Something that felt so distant, so impossible, so unobtainable, yet was within his grasp. Should he go for it?</p><p>Just because something was open didn't mean one should go for it. Sans barely felt confident in a bathing suit, in this body that wasn't his. Why would be become a model? Sans didn't feel confident about his body or looks at all, he hated it. Sure, there were some advantages, but being hot just ruined everything. People looked at him, hit on him constantly, Why would he throw himself into that kind of lifestyle?</p><p>"Are you going to do it?"</p><p>"I dunno." Sans twisted the card again.</p><p>Funny, how Mal always seemed to know when Sans wanted to talk. Of course she did, they were connected. She knew he was thinking about this, that Sans had no idea what to think or say.</p><p>"What do you think I should do?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Well..." Mal tilted her head to the side, looking at Sans. "It isn't my decision, is it? I wouldn't be the one modeling, you'd be the one going through the dressing and the practicing and posing."</p><p>"It's still your body, I have no right to it," Sans said, "I think the final decision should go to you. I may be stuck inside of it, but you're still the owner of the body. If you wouldn't feel comfortable with displaying your body for people, I wouldn't do it."</p><p>"I don't think I would have been a model myself," Mal said, looking off towards the way with her thoughts. "I have no shame with my body, but that kind of lifestyle does not suit me. I'm a leader, I want to be a manager, and I suit that position. Working for someone else isn't really my style, but I never did have any body shame. It is unprofessional when someone shows up in the wrong clothing for meetings, though. I find that frankly very annoying."</p><p>"So you don't want me to?" Sans asked.</p><p>"I'm saying that lifestyle doesn't suit me, for myself," Mal said, "I have no problem with my body, though. I'm confident with it. In the end, it's you that'd be the model, who'd have to wear the outfits, not me. I'm fine with it, it's you who'd be doing the work. It's not my preference, but just because I don't like it doesn't mean someone else will. Do you, yourself, want to become a model?"</p><p>"That's the thing, I don't know!" Sans groaned, twisting the card in his mental anguish. "I've never even thought about it! I mean, I'm a guy! That kind of stuff doesn't really happen to guys because of the stupid gender restrictions, so I've never... you know, thought about it as a possibility."</p><p>Mal leaned against her hand, blinking at him. "You and I both know gender restrictions is just a useless thing society does to label hobbies and careers. Don't worry about that, or about your past, focus on this, right now. Do you, in your future, see yourself being a fashion model or not?"</p><p>"I..." Sans lost his words to the silence of the bedroom.</p><p>The card felt heavier in his hand.</p><p>"You don't have to make a decision now, there's time," Mal said, patting his back. "I think you need to consider your future. We're already going with him for Amber, why don't you try something out of it?"</p><p>Sans chuckled, thinking back to the beach. Amber, of course, was ecstatic, and already took the opportunity her role model offered. Why wouldn't she? It was a great start to her dream job, that was an amazing opportunity she couldn't miss. He offered to have her study under him, and gain experience by being an intern. Who wouldn't take the chance when they had it?</p><p>Amber had been excited for the rest of the night, and gave a little more insight onto the Wilbert guy they had encountered. He was Wilbert Kai Palakiko, a little older than Sans and Mal, who had traveled from Hawaii to Paris to pursue his dreams. He went to school, graduated, and started his own fashion line. Not only is he incredibly famous in the fashion community, he even ranked the highest with the most sales and popularity for his designs. The guy practically ran Paris now! He was known for his unique ability to portray someone through their clothes, and his overbearing compliments and happiness made everyone who interacted with him leave with a smile and more self confidence. It was why he was so popular, he was nice, there was no controversy to deal with and his talents were unmatched. Apparently it was impossible to apply to be one of his models, and he turned everyone down. Each one was specially picked by himself, and he only ever kept one model at a time.</p><p>So...</p><p>Why did he choose Sans? Was it just because he was hot now?</p><p>Probably, that was what being a model meant, didn't it? Being conventionally hot, sexy, attracting in people with their hormones to keep them reading magazines. That was what the world boiled down to, wasn't it? Looks and appeal.</p><p>"I'll need sometime to think about it, yeah," Sans said, "You can go back to bed. I'll just let it think for a bit."</p><p>"If you say so. Don't feel pressured, this is about what you want to do. Live for yourself, not for other people."</p><p>That was right. In the end, Sans shouldn't do this for Amber, or for Wilbert. He should do this because he wants to.</p><p>But did he want to?</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Amber's loud snores broke through their hotel room, soft moonlight creeping in through the window. Wasn't that what Wilbert had compared him to? A moon covered snow field, or something? Probably because of his white skin and hair, that would be a good comparison.</p><p>Everyone was now asleep. Amber had somehow ended up on the floor, face smushed against the ground next to the couch, her long hair covering any chances of Sans seeing her face, and her snores muffled by the carpet. Mal and Sammy had claimed the bedroom, even though sometimes Mal would end up unconsciously drifting through the bed and down or up a few floors.</p><p>All was asleep but Sans, who sat at the counter, looking down at the card and phone number. His pocket didn't seem to be filled at all, so he probably didn't carry around many cards like this.</p><p>Which meant it was pretty rare for him to give them to someone, that was for sure.</p><p>Sans twisted the phone in his hand, sighing to himself. Was he really going to do this? No, he wasn't sure yet, but he was considering.</p><p>Would Sans even be a good model? He didn't know how to pose, how to walk! He's have to be in front of cameras, in front of the T.V, trying on clothes after clothes. What would happen when Wilbert lost interest in Sans, just like his other models, and chose a new one.</p><p>The biggest question, though, was why Sans was calling him!</p><p>With his cold phone pressed against his ear, Sans leaned against the counter, blowing a piece of white hair out of his face. Some more information would be nice, Sans didn't want to just expose himself for the world to see on a whim. Sure, Amber and the entire internet had good claims about him, but Sans wanted to double check himself.</p><p>But it was almost one in the morning, there was no way this guy was just going to answer and-</p><p>"Hello?"</p><p>Nevermind then.</p><p>"Um, hi," Sans said, "This is Sans, from the beach?"</p><p>"Oh, oh, hello! How are you at... 1:54 in the morning?" Wilbert sounded as chippy this late as he did on the beach.</p><p>"Why aren't you asleep?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Why aren't you?"</p><p>"Okay, yeah, fair point." Sans leaned back in his chair. "I was just wondering if I could ask some questions about the whole modeling thing. I was just going to leave a voicemail, but I guess I can just ask you right now if you're not busy."</p><p>"Nothing would delight me more than to talk to you right now."</p><p>"Oh, shut up. You don't want to talk to me, it's one in the morning. You should go back to sleep."</p><p>There was rustling from Wilbert's end. "No, I'm serious! I love making connections and bonding with people! Ask away!"</p><p>"I guess my first question would be why the hell you're awake at this time."</p><p>"You gave me inspiration, and I can't lose that clothing inspiration! That's why I've been doing a bunch of sketches since I got back for some new clothing designs."</p><p>"That- actually sounds about right, Amber's pretty much like that as well. She accepted your offer, by the way."</p><p>"Did she? That's fantastic! I love to help inspiring fashion designers everyway I can, it reminds me of when I started out. I'm glad to here she's coming, it'd be great experience. It'll be a paid internship, and she'd work side by side with me for creating my clothes. And if you'd like, I could apply her into a high school in Paris once the summer is over."</p><p>"Wait, really?"</p><p>"Of course, I've done that before to a few interns, why not help people where I can? Unless she has friends here, then it can just be for the next few summers, or however long she'd like."</p><p>"I think Amber will take you up on the full year offer, no doubt about it. But... why did you ask me? Amber's the one who made the clothes, she should be getting the credit. I'm just the doofus who wore them."</p><p>Wilbert gasped. "You are <em>not </em>a doofus!"</p><p>"I am!" Sans chuckled, leaning against the counter with ease. "I was barely able to wear the bikini on a practically empty beach, how am I supposed to wear stuff like that in front of a bunch of people for a career?"</p><p>"You weren't very used to it, were you? I could tell when I first saw you."</p><p>"Yeah, I was... but what was with all of that weird poetry stuff?"</p><p>"Sorry, I tend to catch people off guard with that. I love complimenting people. Making people happy makes me happy. That's a condition of being my model, though. We will become best friends and I will shower you with love and affection and presents."</p><p>"Hey, I didn't sign any contracts. Could I change that part at all?"</p><p>"Nope! But, of course, it's only if you want to be a model. But being my personal model does mean that I will become your best friend, and you will get many more compliments. Like your eyes, sweetie, they're beautiful."</p><p>"Shut up."</p><p>Sans covered a burning cheek with his hand, looking down in embarrassment.</p><p>"They are! You're beautiful, and I'm not just talking about you as your body, I'm talking about you as a person. There's no such thing as outer beauty without inner beauty, and I can tell when someone's inner beauty sparkles. You are like a snow day, Sans. Admired and cherished, with the moon to sparkle across your soft features in the darkness of the night, with no one to admire your beauty. That's why I want you to become my model. You aren't just beautiful outside. Sure, a snowy field in the day is beautiful, but it's the moon and dark forest that really brings out the beauty. While beautiful in the day, the moon is truly what makes the snow sparkle with your beauty. You have great promise to become a model not because of your outer beauty, but your inner beauty. I could tell the moment I looked into your eyes, as eyes are the gateway to one's soul, aren't they?"</p><p>"Why are you such a flirt?" Sans let the words escape before he realized what he said, clasping a hand against his mouth from shock.</p><p>"Oh, no, you're mistaken! I'm not flirting at all! Sorry, I do sometimes come on pretty strong, but I never flirt unless I'm actively saying I'd like to date you. Don't worry, these are just friend compliments of platonic love, no romantic or sexual attachment. Just friendship being offered."</p><p>"Whew, that's good."</p><p>"I'm sorry, I get a little excited about making clothes. I inspire my clothes based on a person's inner beauty, so it matches them as a person. That's why I'm so popular, I guess, I make clothes specifically to match my models personality, so it suits them perfectly. I like to make my models happy."</p><p>"Speaking of which, what happened to your other models? Why do you only have one at a time?"</p><p>"I like to have a personal relationship with my models, so I only ever keep one at a time. Don't worry, none of my other models were fired. I transferred most of them to other fashion designers who needed them, they're all still working and happy. One went to pursue her dreams of being a dancer, and one left to go start a family."</p><p>"What would I be doing if I became a model?"</p><p>Before Wilbert started talking, Sans got more comfortable, leaning against the counter as he swung his feet. Only then did he realize he had been twirling his hair the entire phone conversation, forcing himself to pull it away.</p><p>"Mostly, you'd just be traveling around with me. I take inspiration from different cultures around the world, so that means my model will have to come with me. I have a private photographer and studio, so you'd mostly just be posing. You don't have to worry to learn how to pose, my photographer is amazing, he'll lead you through the ropes. This does mean you'd have to wear only my clothes to represent my brand, as while I do love other fashion designers, you'd become a representation of me and my work by becoming my model, so you would have to wear my clothes that I make. Mostly the work would be you posing for pictures, and the only people that'd really be there would be me and my photographer. Sometimes we'll go onto a runway of sorts, but not much. You'd mostly just do photos and traveling." A pause could be heard from Wilbert as he shuffled again. "Hm... I love to make homemade cookies, and you will be trying all of them. I love desserts."</p><p>"Man, that makes the deal so much better," Sans said, "Free homemade cookies? Sounds amazing. But... aw, what the heck? Sure, I'll try out being your model."</p><p>"Yay! I think we can get everything sorted out tomorrow, do you guys need to get anything done? I have the transportation, and we can go to Paris whenever. What time would work for you guys?"</p><p>"Tomorrow would be great to go to Paris, actually," Sans said, "I guess we could meet you in the morning."</p><p>"Fantastic! Okay, since we're now officially best friends, what are your five biggest hopes, dreams, fears, and movies? I like Wall-E. Please like Wall-E."</p><p>"Oh boy," Sans said, laughing to himself in the empty kitchen of his hotel room.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 22 - Jet Ride</h2></a>
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    <p>When Wilbert had mentioned transportation, Sans wasn't sure what he expected. However, a private jet...</p><p>No, actually, that was pretty fair. Guy was rich and famous, wasn't he? Of course he had a private jet.</p><p>The flight, even though it was nonstop, was going to be a pretty long time. About... 10ish hours... maybe?</p><p>Sans yawned, rolling his head against the seat as Amber's excited talk about her clothing ideas to Wilbert. As it turned out, when you had someone on the phone who loved to talk and make friends, more than Papyrus did, and you yourself enjoyed talking to him, you stayed up. All night.</p><p>Their conversation wasn't about anything specific, but a good first chunk of their discussion was about Wall-E. It was one of the first movies he watched when he moved to France, and he loved it with every fiber of his being. He just loved how a romance story could be told between two robots without any words, and Sans knew that because he talked about it. For over an hour.</p><p>Wilbert was passionate, so say the least. He loved making connections, being nice, and just enjoyed his life. It was a good place to be at. Sure, the guy cared about and helped others, but he never pushed it to the point of his own mental breakdown. Wilbert had his life set, and he was enjoying it, and...</p><p>Where was Sans going with this?</p><p>When he said they stayed up all night, he meant it. They were on the phone until Amber had come into the kitchen, hair tangled, looking at Sans with disbelief. That was when he sleepily glanced at the window and discovered the sun was rising. How long had they been talking just about things?</p><p>While Wall-E had been the first topic, it wasn't their only one. They used that as a starting platform, and it really was where Wilbert's communication skills came through. He knew how to keep a conversation flowing, how to keep interest, and how to keep someone excited and happy. He had charisma, he knew words and how to apply them.</p><p>And he also knew how to pick the most comfy couches in private jets. Could jets even have couches? Sans never expected that, but he wasn't complaining. It was comfortable as heck, and he sunk right into the cushions, blinking away his eyelashes.</p><p>Sans wasn't the only one Wilbert bonded with, at least. While they definitely had a head start, Wilbert was quick to bond with the others as well. Not Mal, he couldn't talk to her, but the group quickly pretended Sans was Amber's 'sitter' while her sister was away doing something, and that they'd text her often.</p><p>Amber and Wilbert easily bonded over their love of clothes, and his desire to help her future. Continuing to talk, Amber pulled out more examples she's made for Sans, handing them to Wilbert before her sketchbook followed. They were sitting in some seats away from Sans and Sammy, the topic of fashion brewing in the midst of a heat filled, excited, and passionate conversation. Sans tried to blink away sleep, staring at the ceiling with determination flashing through his and Mal's souls.</p><p>Soon enough, Mal's ghost face filled his vision.</p><p>"It isn't healthy to do this, it's going to be a long flight, go to sleep."</p><p>No, Sans couldn't. He had to stay awake for...</p><p>Oh, right, nevermind. He didn't need to be afraid of anything anymore, he could sleep now. Amber was fine, and if Wilbert did turn out to be a creep or something, Sammy was here too. She sat on the couch next to Sans, her blonde hair into her usual ponytail, as she stared off towards... something. Sans was too tired too...</p><p>Yeah, he was going to close his eyes now.</p><p>Sans wasn't the only one he needed to lean onto anymore. He trusted Mal, Amber, and Sammy. And while it was a bit too soon to be entirely trusting Wilbert, he did trust the others and their judgement in situations.</p><p>The moment his eyes were closed, he was out.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Lightly bitting on her fingernail, Mal floated in the air of the private jet, letting his graze drift about. Nice, classy, professional, yet comfortable. She liked it.</p><p>Wilbert himself was... well, she couldn't tell yet. He was nice, and he wasn't a liar, which she enjoyed. The guy didn't have any of the 'there can be only me' bullcrap, and he was fun to be around. He cared about his profession, and that was something she admired. By no means was Mal creative like her sister, but you should be passionate about your job. He was just... too excited?</p><p>Mal always had a hard time making friends with her promptly rude attitude and her brutal honesty that could make someone cry. She never intended to make people cry, it just happened! Her comments were supposed to be honest with self improvement in mind, but she was harsh. Some people just didn't like the truth, but it was better than to support their lies.</p><p>Sammy was adorable. Seriously, she loved her so much. With her cute blonde hair, those brown eyes, and her love for creepy things, it was amazing Mal got the total package. Sammy continued to talk in place for both her and Mal so Wilbert could get her input.</p><p>But she did like Wilbert, because he was supporting Amber. She wasn't sure about who he was yet, but she did like his commitment. He stayed up all night with Sans, and now was talking with Amber despite the bags under his eyes and his constant yawns. So he enjoyed supporting people, but Mal still wasn't too sure about him. The most happy looking people tended to be the most damaged, weren't they?</p><p>The question was, well, what was this guys damage?</p><p>"That looks so... super pretty!" Wilbert stifled another yawn, patting Amber's shoulder, "Oh, I just realized... I'll have to be the one who drives... oops..."</p><p>"Oh, oh, I can drive!" Sammy offered quickly, raising her hand. "I love driving!"</p><p>"Do you! That sounds like a wond-wonderful hobby to have!" Wilbert said, his head lolling slightly. "Whew... I'm sleepy..."</p><p>"Can I switch spots with you?" Sammy asked him, "I want to check out Amber's drawings."</p><p>"S... Sure!"</p><p>Mal watched as Sammy and Wilbert switched, keeping her eyes on her girlfriend in the seat. Amber tilted her sketchbook towards Sammy, pointing at a few of the sketches she had just been showing Will. Will? Was he fine with being called that? Well, Mal was going to call him that now, not that he'd even hear her.</p><p>Thud.</p><p>Everyone turned to find that Wilbert must have also found the sofa as comfortable as Sans, because he had slumped against the skeleton the moment he had sat down, out cold. With his entire weight on Sans, the shorter started to slide to the left, Wilbert following. Thus, they had ended up thumping against the cushions, Wilbert's cheek pressed against Sans' shoulder and Sans' face pressed against the seat. Both were dead asleep, their thud against the couch having no affect.</p><p>"That's about what I expected," Amber said, gesturing to the two unconscious males.</p><p>"That looks uncomfortable, actually," Sammy said, "Should we at least move Wilbert off of Sans?"</p><p>"Well, we could, but..." Amber reached out her hand lazily, opening and closing her fingers. "They're just so far, and I'm just so lazy."</p><p>"I'll move them."</p><p>Sammy walked over and peeled Wilbert off of Sans, sitting him up gently so Sans wasn't being crushed into his awkward position. If they ended up sleeping like that the entire flight, yeah, something was going to hurt. Sammy sat up Sans was well next to the fashion designer, grabbing a nearby blanket and throwing it across them. Much better, now Wilbert wouldn't be crushing Sans!</p><p>Sammy settled down into her seat, turning towards Amber again to look at more designs. She liked more darker clothes herself, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate other types of clothes, and-</p><p>Thud.</p><p>Again?</p><p>This time, Sans had ended up leaning against Wilbert, and the lack of their consciousness to hold either of them up, they both fell right this time, with Sans ended up onto the fashion designer this time. Wilbert had one arm thrown over the arm of the couch, his other falling on top of Sans' back. Sans had basically face planted into his chest, no doubt probably drooling onto it. Sans drooled when he slept.</p><p>"I am not getting up again," Sammy said.</p><p>"I wonder if he has any snacks here," Amber muttered, glancing around the jet as she lost interest in the topic of the two sleeping men. </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Animation Meme</h2></a>
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    <p>I made an animation meme for this story, here's the link if ya readers wanna go watch! Don't worry, the next chapter is coming out tomorrow like usual, I just made this in my free time.</p><p> </p><p>https://youtu.be/QvRieJvdWvU</p>
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<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 23 - Arriving In Paris</h2></a>
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    <p>When Sans woke up, his skull- no, his forehead, was pressed against the floor of the private jet. He rose sleepily, blinking away with a yawn. Somehow, when he had fallen asleep, he had ended up with his face off of the couch and his feet dangling off of the top. Wilbert was tangled with Sans, his legs thrown about in the mix. His hairband seemed to come out in his tossing and turning, leaving dark hair tangled in his face.</p><p>"Good morning," Amber said, her voice muffled by some food.</p><p>"Oh man, give me some," Sans said, peeling his legs from the tangled mess on the couch groggily.</p><p>"Nah dude, this is the last chip," Amber said.</p><p>"And you didn't give me any?"</p><p>"You were out cold, man. What am I supposed to do, feed you chips in your sleep?"</p><p>"Sans already drools, he would've probably choked on it," Mal pointed out.</p><p>"A necessary sacrifice," Sans muttered, shaking away white hair.</p><p>Everyone got settled down after Sans and Wilbert woke up, the two sore from their awkward positions they had fallen asleep inside of. They were dead tired, and sleeping in a jet, of course they'd end up in uncomfortable positions. Sans' foot had ended up digging into Wilbert's gut, which obviously was uncomfortable for the poor guy.</p><p>It seemed that Sans and Wilbert mostly slept through the flight, as they were soon landing. Unusual for Sans, that was for sure. He's never really gotten to travel around before, and it was new and exciting!</p><p>Cars continued to whizz through busy streets, horde of people moving down sidewalks. The eiffel tower itself hung above in the distance, the sunset sparkling across the beautiful city. Trees were carried in a soft breeze, soft music seeming to sweep throughout the air. Everyone was practically pressed against the windows of the car, staring in awe at the sparkling sights of a new culture around them. Sans never expected to enjoy views like this, but it was beautiful! People were right, seeing views on screens were different. The city already looked so sparkling and alive, but with the soft hue of a sunset settling in the horizon, it was...</p><p>"Gorgeous..." Mal whispered.</p><p>It truly was, Mal. It truly was.</p><p>Wilbert gave Sammy directions as he eagerly talked about Paris and the people. As it turned out, there was a good reason as to why they weren't walking, and instead were driving in a tinted window car. Because, as it seemed, Wilbert was extremely popular here. It was his main place for fashion, wasn't it? So of course his brand name would be everywhere. Seriously, his name was on everything.</p><p>And so would Sans' face be accompanied with that name, wouldn't he? He still had the option to back out, right now.</p><p>No, he might as well try it. Wilbert said Sans could leave whenever he got uncomfortable, Sans should at least give it a shot.</p><p>From what little Sans knew about the surface, he knew Paris was one of the 'Capitals' of the world, much like the Capital of the Underground was. It was full of people, full of life, art, passion. A perfect place for Amber to start her career, and the perfect place for them all to start their new lives.</p><p>"And you guys will have to stay with me for tonight, but there's plenty enough room! I can recommend a few places for you guys to stay the night if you don't want to, but I do think Sans and I would have to talk more in depth about her being a model. I already have lots of clothing ideas, and since I found out she's never seen Wall-E, we will have to watch Wall-E."</p><p>"Sans, you uncultured swine! You've never watched Wall-E?" Sammy said, looking in the rearview mirror. "It's not my favorite Pixar movie, but-"</p><p>"It's not your favorite?" Wilbert asked, gasping from shock. "It's a beautiful romance story between robots with humans that aren't even bad, so no side is truly evil or not!"</p><p>"Inside Out! It delves into the emotions of a teenager going through a tough time, and has a character death through sacrifice about an imaginary friend! Pixar isn't Pixar unless you're crying!"</p><p>"I cried the entire night after I watched it," Wilbert said, "But that movie is also amazing! I love it! Wall-E is superior though, I love romance stories."</p><p>"Guys, Cars? Ay?" Amber asked from the backseat, mockingly wiggling her shoulders.</p><p>Both of the avid Pixar fans from the front slowly glanced at her.</p><p>"We don't talk about that one," Sammy said quietly.</p><p>Sans turned to Amber. "What's Cars?"</p><p>"Amber, don't you dare!" Sammy hissed.</p><p>Amber had the biggest grin on her face that Sans has ever seen. "I think Sans should watch the Cars movie."</p><p>"No, don't ruin her vision of Pixar with that!" Wilbert said, "I love Pixar but that movie isn't great. The studio is amazing and she has to start with watching their best works!"</p><p>"I dunno." Sans crossed his arms, leaning back with a grin. "Amber makes a convincing argument."</p><p>"Sans, no!"</p><p>Sammy looked to Mal to support, but the woman was lost in her own world, her ghost face pushed out of the car entirely to enjoy the views around them. She probably couldn't even hear their conversation.</p><p>"Nah, I'm convinced. To see what Pixar's about, I gotta watch Cars."</p><p>"Noooooooo!"</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Wilbert's house wasn't as big as Sans suspected it to be. Instead, it was a small and cute modern home, tucked away only a few blocks from the eiffel tower. A perfect location for a house, really. It was close enough to view one of the worlds most known attractions and to arrive there rather quickly, but with the front grassy, almost small park of a lawn people wouldn't expect a house to be hidden behind. So their location wouldn't be thrown out for everyone to see, as he understood. His security even seemed to be up to advanced, probably because of his fans. The guy was intensely famous, a few obsessive fans probably would have tried to break in. Sans could imagine Amber probably trying to climb the fence if she didn't have this opportunity.</p><p>"I thought ya said you like to bond with people," Sans said, gesturing to the fence.</p><p>"I do! I love to make connections!" Wilbert said, "Just not at 1 in the morning when someone broke if through your window."</p><p>"Did someone actually do that?"</p><p>"I adore my fans, each and every one of them, but I also adore having them follow the laws and not break into my house. It's sad to have to see one of your fans arrested, but she did make that decision to break down my window herself. I hope she got the right therapy."</p><p>"I mean, she could just see right through your houses security, dude."</p><p>Wilbert laughed at his pun as Sammy parked, the blonde haired girl swinging the keys on her fingers with her success. However, as she wasn't paying attention, they almost flew off and out of the open car door, making her quickly panic and throw her hand against her chest to keep them from flying. The female turned around, red faced, hoping no one noticed her mistake.</p><p>Everyone noticed.</p><p>"Oh my gosh, I have so much to show you all! Such as Wall-E for Sans," Wilbert said, clapping his hands together as everyone exited the car.</p><p>"No, she has to see Inside Out first!" Sammy said.</p><p>She clasped onto his arm and yanked Sans to the left, their debate having since turned a little possessive over their love of Pixar. When people had a deep passion, and that passion was being challenged, of course it'd turn into a battle. They both wanted Sans to like their favorite movies.</p><p>"Am I the only one here who likes the Train to Busan movie as their favorite? Just me?" Mal asked.</p><p>"You and I both know Sammy loves that movie as her ultimate favorite, but they're debating favorite Pixar movies," Amber muttered under her breath to her sister, "So that doesn't apply."</p><p>"Ah, right. I prefer more serious things, animated children shows aren't exactly my thing. I need more serious movies, they tone it down too much for children. Not even any gay characters..."</p><p>"No, Sans has to see Wall-E!" Wilbert said, latching onto his other arm and pulling him against his chest. "I'm her fashion designer, so she has to experience cultural milestones from me first."</p><p>"Well, she's my best friend." Sammy pulled Sans against her chest.</p><p>"No, she's my super duper best friend! We had that amazing phone call, so I've claimed her best friend role with the super duperness!" Wilbert pulled Sans back.</p><p>"Inside Out!"</p><p>"Wall-E!"</p><p>"Food?" Amber popped her head between them.</p><p>Sans snapped a finger towards Amber. "That, my friend, is a great suggestion. Do you got food?"</p><p>Indeed, as it turned out, Wilbert did have food.</p><p>Their tour of the house was short but interesting, as it gave a lot of insight to Wilbert. They didn't see the entirety of it, as Amber and Sans were starving, but the two would be introduced to their new working stations tomorrow. Tonight was the time to relax, to get used to Paris. And to fix their sleep schedule, as they royally screwed it up by staying up all night, then sleeping away their entire day.</p><p>The dinner was spent getting to know everyone a bit better, and to settle out their plans. Amber, of course, was going to be his intern. She's just follow him around, he'd show her the ropes of experience, and if they continued to stay past the summer, she would attend a school Wilbert knew was great in Paris, then when she graduated he would write her a recommendation for the same college he went to. After that, she'd be able to start her own clothing line., maybe even continue to work for Wilbert until he eventually retired. Sans, of course, was going to be his fashion model, and Wilbert was going to have to make a lot of clothes for the once-skeleton to wear.</p><p>Sammy, though, had an odd addition to the group. One he had not expected, but did make sense. Their personal driver, something she volunteered for. That meant, if they needed a quick escape, Sammy was their driver. And she could drive... in her way.</p><p>Sans silently bit into his cookie, sharing a look of knowledge with Mal. Nah, he wouldn't tell Wilbert. It'd be best for him to experience Sammy's unkept driving himself. Guy was innocent, best to keep him that way.</p><p>Surprisingly, they all had great chemistry together. Sans liked Wilbert's outgoing and happy attitude, it really did lift his spirits. No, it really did, that was a pun, because Mal and ended up accidentally floating through the ceiling when she wasn't paying attention. Oops.</p><p>But what really shined was everyone else with Wilbert. Sammy and Wilbert were pretty cool, and while Wilbert loved sunshine compared to Sammy's love for darker things, they did both have outgoing personalities, and easily bonded. Due to that, the two were naturally able to keep Sans and Amber tied into the conversation, despite the two being more introverted. Somehow they managed to include Mal into the conversation despite Wilbert's ignorance to the ghost right next to him, Amber or Sammy sometimes filling in her conversation with "This reminds me of something Mal would say..." to not draw suspicion.</p><p>Should Sans tell the guy? He did like Wilbert, he was pretty cool, but would that change his view of him? If Sans told someone as famous as him, what if it slipped one day, and news traveled to Papyrus? Sure, Paris was pretty far from where they were, but monster news spread like wildfire, and the news of a monster stuck in a humans body was no doubt going to send Alphys running even faster than his bro. Maybe one day, but right now, he liked the ignorance of Wilbert right now. Yeah, best to keep Mal a secret.</p><p>Sans wasn't sure what he expected after dinner, though. He didn't expect Wilbert to usher both Sammy and Amber to their own guest room, quickly telling them to go to sleep for the night before he whisked Sans to his own room. Was... was this guy seriously about to... try and hook up with Sans? Was this happening now?</p><p>Wilbert crouched down next to his bed, pulling out a box from underneath.</p><p>"This is where I keep my goodies," Wilbert purred.</p><p>Oh no, was Sans wrong about him this entire time? Was he trying to hook up with Sans, here, now? Sans didn't know him enough, was this all the modeling thing was about?</p><p>"Here!"</p><p>Sans flinched from the object, getting ready to spark up his magic for an attack if he so needed. Instead, it wasn't anything... of the toy variety he was expecting.</p><p>It was a f*cking movie disc for Wall-E.</p><p>"I keep all my favorite movies underneath my bed!" Wilbert gushed, "And Sammy can't stop us from watching it now. Quick question, do you want popcorn or M&amp;Ms? And also, do you want to wear pink pajamas or blue?"</p><p>"I..." Sans looked back and forth between the disc and the man who was now his employer before he sighed with relief. "Anything works."</p>
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<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter 24 - PhotoShoot</h2></a>
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    <p>Left.</p><p>Then right.</p><p>His foot was starting to ache, the ankle twisting left yet again. When Wilbert had talked about his photographer, about how he was his other best friend, Sans had expected it to be someone like Wilbert. Like his personality. Nice, somewhat of a nerd, but an extrovert. Not did he expect this person.</p><p>"No, left again."</p><p>Sans sighed, inching the same foot left again ever so slightly. Sure, Sans expected to be standing in front of a camera, but he didn't expect it to take this long!</p><p>They had fixed their sleep schedules, thankfully, and Wilbert had led Sans back to the guest room where Sammy and Amber had been sleeping. It never was his intention to have Sans sleep in his room, he just wanted to whisk his new best friend away and make him love his favorite movie before Sammy could show Sans.</p><p>Sans wasn't sure if Wilbert even knew what had been running through Sans' head. Did Wilbert even realize what the original situation had been suggesting? Maybe he had, because he had been careful about his movements, making sure not to keep his grip on Sans for too long, and keeping a respectful distance. He never tried to make any moves, or tried to keep his hands on Sans longer by any means necessary. There was the whole cheek thing from the beach, but it had been because of Sans' eyes, which were rather unnatural he would admit. Sans had first suspected it to be because of his looks and that Wilbert had been attracted to him, but now that he thought about it more, it didn't seem to be that way. He never tried to make his hands roam or last, like Sans knew some guys did. And Wilbert wasn't trying to be sexual, or feel him up. He only ever touched Sans places friends did, such as his wrist to pull him, or on his shoulders. Sans knew when guys were trying to get a feel, and this wasn't it.</p><p>Wilbert respected Sans, and it seemed he was just as huggy with Sans as he was with everyone else, including his male editor. Wilbert might not be aware, but either way he did keep a respectful distance, never trying to push himself up against anyone. And he hadn't even tried to take Sans' measurements, he let Amber double check her own numbers because he understood he and Sans were still new friends. So, when he had given Sans his dress he made, he let Sans get changed separately. And when he said the dress was slightly leaning towards the left, he asked Sans if he could fix it, as it was rather close to Sans' chest. Sans was cool with it, though. Wilbert didn't even try for a feel, just like before. He respected woman, which is something Sans very much liked, as he didn't have to be paranoid about Wilbert trying to feel him up every five seconds. Sans knew female models were often sexually harassed, which was one of the things he was worried about.</p><p>And Sans didn't even have to worry about the photographer, either. The man, when instructing Sans to do his poses, never once tried to touch him. Instead, he would tell Sans which body parts to move, and he never once moved his set green eyes from Sans' blue ones.</p><p>Thick red hair popped up from behind the camera as he took another photo. Despite being in the city of fashion, and despite the fact that he worked in the fashion career himself, the photographer was far from fashionable. A baggy grey, plain sweater hung from his chest, thick black glasses tilted on his nose as he motioned for Sans to move his foot again. Sans complied, shifting his weight for the millionth time that photoshoot.</p><p>"No, no, this pose is wrong!" The photographer said, ripping the camera from his face as a heavy german accent accompanied each word. "Reset, again!"</p><p>A perfectionist was the best way to describe him. When he took photos, he wanted to get it right. Which meant Sans was going to be here for awhile. Even Amber and Wilbert had some leeway, and they weren't this obsessed about getting something just right. Heck, not even Mal was this focused about the slight position of a foot!</p><p>"Sorry for making you stand for so long, but if we don't nail this, your debut is going to flop." He pressed the thick glasses up against his freckled face.</p><p>"It's uh, it's fine," Sans said, giving an awkward smile.</p><p>They were alone together, which made it pretty weird, considering Sans didn't really know his name. Wilbert told him, but he forgot. Whoops. Hopefully Wilbert and Amber would get back with whatever they had left to do, because Sans did not want to be alone with this guy. Wilbert Sans wasn't worried about, but he didn't know this man yet. And he didn't want to get to know him by this guy trying to get a touch.</p><p>It was a sad fact, but ever since Sans turned into a girl, he now found himself more uncomfortable near people he didn't know. Before, he never was worried about being groped or touched, because he was a man. But now he was a very attractive woman, and people have tried before. Sans had asked Mal, one night, if woman were typically afraid of this fear he now held, and she had given a sorrowful nod. People shouldn't be scared of the other gender just because they took advantage of their own gender. People shouldn't be worried about getting a job just because of their race. People shouldn't be scared to date someone else just so that other person won't get turned away from a good future.</p><p>He hated it. Humans were so biased, then again, so were monsters. Was there truly a better race? No. Sans knew he wasn't scared of guys, but he was scared of what they could do, and what being a woman meant to some men in the world. Sans understood it was bad, but now that he was a woman himself, he was seeing the true extent of it. As a monster, he never realized how terrible monsters could be because he never tried to look. As a man, he never suspected some men he knew were bad, like Grillby, because he never tried to look deeper. Heck, it took dying just to realize how unhappy he was!</p><p>Nevermind, this was a new life now. He was happier now, he just wished he didn't have to be on edge around other people just because of his looks. Poor Amber had it worse, though, as a woman who wasn't white. He saw the way she froze when there had been a cop in their building, gripping her book tighter. But Sans was a monster before, he understood how it felt to have human cops be racist, and his own grip had tightened from his own worry.</p><p>In conclusion, Sans hated the way the world was, and he really was hoping the photographer wasn't a bad guy. And he was also hoping the guy would maybe mention his name, because Sans didn't want to ask for it again after having been posing for over an hour. So far the guy seemed respectful, but Grillby had been like that for years, and Sans never noticed.</p><p>"Oh, am I making you uncomfortable?" He asked.</p><p>Sans snapped out of his thoughts, realizing he had been cascading down the rabbit hole of overthinking once more. Darn it, he really needed to stop that. Now he twisted himself around about the photographer, and now was worried about him! Darn it! Sans always did that, didn't he? Twist up his thoughts onto each other until he was stressed about everything, and would simply give up to his plaguing nightmares, unable to escape himself.</p><p>"What?" Sans asked.</p><p>The photographer absentmindedly rubbed his wedding ring as he spoke. "I've been a model photographer for years, and... well, I know sometimes it hurts a lot of women. Wilbert is a good man, he has no intentions sexually towards you, I promise. If he ever makes you uncomfortable, you can tell him, just as you can me. We don't want to exploit you, and if I ever make you feel awkward, you can let me know. Doing my job doesn't excuse me if I ever make you or anyone else, male or female, uncomfortable. But it also doesn't excuse dumb pictures where the lighting is off and-"</p><p>He seemed to have broken out into a rant, clicking through his camera with complaints about the pictures, grinding his right foot into the ground with annoyance. Sans snorted at his reaction.</p><p>That... actually was a really nice thing to say, and he was right. Doing his job didn't excuse if he made someone else uncomfortable, even if he was in the fashion industry where he took pictures of people for a living. He was keeping Sans' comfortability first and foremost. Wilbert knew how to pick the right people. Of course he did, the man loved to bond and form connections, he didn't want to hire anyone that would harass others. So this guy was cool, too. He could tell Sans was starting to get uncomfortable and made sure to keep a respectful distance. He did mention he's been doing this for years, he's probably seen some bad people in the industry.</p><p>And he wasn't one of them after all, was he?</p><p>Sans sighed, letting the photographer go off on his little tangent about lighting. Just like everyone else, he was so passionate about his job, about what he loved. Sans was surrounded by so many people who loved what they did, and held their dreams close, happy to explore them. Would he ever find that passion for a job one day? Sans never got the chance to explore, and now he fully planned to, for once, indulge on himself.</p><p>"The corner light is off!" He practically screeched, looking up with wide eyes towards the lights above.</p><p>Wilbert's studio was rather impressive. He had an entire room dedicated to it, with a large storage corner for the necessary lights and wires.</p><p>"I'll go get the ladder," The man said, "And you... miss..." He lowered his arms, sighing with defeat. "I forgot your name."</p><p>"Oh, I forgot yours too," Sans sucked in a breath of relief, offering a soft smile. "I'm Sans."</p><p>The man suddenly perked up at seeing Sans' smile, the camera clutched closely to his chest. "I'm Lucas, just- Keep your face like that! I have to go fix the light, but that's a good smile and you better keep it for the picture! The lighting could be fixed then- We can pull this through, keep your face like that! For the next foreseeable hour or hours!"</p><p>"Wait, hours?"</p><p>However, poor Sans' response seemed to be too late, as Lucas was sprinting off as fast as Papyrus would whenever he went to set up his traps. Heck, even faster. Guy really wanted a good picture.</p><p>It made sense, though. This was Sans' debut as a model, and if the picture was wonky, he'd flop. Not to mention this was also Lucas' job, he had to capture good pictures. And if he was passionate about it, which was clear, he didn't want to do nothing but his utter best.</p><p>But the guy was definitely a perfectionist, for sure.</p><p>Sans twisted in his dress, glancing up at the light. He could see the problem from down here, and so had Lucas, which was probably why he had rushed to get a ladder. One of the wires was loose, causing the light to not work. All it took was some movement, which Sans could do... with his magic.</p><p>Sans could hear Wilbert and Amber in the kitchen still, so Wilbert wouldn't see his magic. Sammy and Mal were on their movie date watching some gore horror movies, but they both knew Sans had magic. Surely the ladder would be pretty far, so Sans could probably use his magic without anyone seeing.</p><p>The familiar grasp of a magical pull sparkled within his eye as Sans flicked his left hand, blue magic humming along the skin. He could feel the flare of a blue glow as he grabbed the wire, gently pulling it to the side. And just like that, the light flicked on, and-</p><p>"I got the-"</p><p>The silence was deafening.</p><p>Lucas was now standing in the doorway, holding a decently sized ladder, staring with wide eyes at Sans using magic. Something humans didn't have. In front of a human.</p><p>Lucas just saw Sans use magic.</p><p>"I... Yeah, I got no excuses," Sans said, dropping his hand.</p><p>Lucas looked between Sans, then the light, then him again. "I won't talk about this if you don't."</p><p>"Deal."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>"So... about the magic..."</p><p>Sans stirred his bowl of cereal, watching Lucas from across the table. The human had been right, he didn't talk about it. At all, which was why Sans had to at least confirm this with him.</p><p>"I don't want to get involved in anything like that," Lucas said quickly, "I don't understand much about monsters as it is, and you didn't kill anyone, so I think we're good never speaking about this again."</p><p>"I... yeah, cool," Sans said, pointing his spoon at Lucas. "You're not very confrontational, are you?"</p><p>"Not a bit."</p><p>Sans nodded at the honesty. It was pretty clear that while Lucas was passionate and strong behind the camera, he didn't like to be thrown into the center of attention. It was probably why he worked behind the camera.</p><p>But he wasn't entirely shy, or hidden away, and Sans was guessing that was Wilbert's doing. The fashion designer was probably the one who broke him out of his shell, as Wilbert had a habit of doing that.</p><p>"Oh my god!"</p><p>Wilbert's yell cut through the air, making Sans jump up. Was he hurt? Was another fan breaking through his window?</p><p>Lucas casually pushed aside his own snack and stood up, pulling at his grey sweater slightly. "No, it's nothing to get worked up about. Wilbert probably just saw your photo."</p><p>"Sans, get in here, you look so adorable!"</p><p>"Told you."</p><p>Wilbert looked like he was bouncing in his seat when they arrived, the Hawaiin quickly pointing towards the picture loaded up on the screen. Sans leaned over his shoulder, following the finger to look at...</p><p>Wow. Really, wow. He... He actually really, for once, <em>liked </em>what he saw.</p><p>Sans remembered the pose, it was the last one they did before Lucas called it a day. The blue background brought out his features, a soft hue of light making the trapped skeleton look like a glowing angel. His head was turned over his shoulder, looking softly at the camera with his bright blue eyes, softly sparkling with leftover magic. The dress only complimented his features further, the darker blue making him stick out.</p><p>Sans looked absolutely stunning.</p><p>"I heard Wilbert yell, and you were worried for a moment," Mal said, floating through the wall. "Is everything- Holy sh*t."</p><p>Mal lowered herself next to Sans, speechless from the quality picture of him in front of them. It wasn't Sans, still, but... Wow. Just wow.</p><p>"I knew you were a natural!" Wilbert squealed, hugging Sans from the side. "You look super pretty!"</p><p>Sans felt himself deflate, the high lessoning when he realized what this meant. Sans himself wasn't pretty, this wasn't his body.</p><p>"Your photography was as amazing as ever, Lucas!" Wilbert said, then moving to hug his other best friend.</p><p>Lucas pulled the front collar of his grey sweater over his mouth, which seemed to be a nervous tick of his. "I'm proud of how it turned out."</p><p>"You are so beautiful, Sans!" Wilbert said, "Do you think this one is perfect, or do you want to try again! I have some more dresses and ideas for your debut, and-"</p><p>"No, no," Sans said, "Lucas seems like a cool guy, but my body hurts from standing for hours. I'm done."</p><p>"But are you happy with the picture?" Wilbert asked, "There's no point in sending it unless you're happy with it."</p><p>This was his last chance to back out before his face was posted everywhere. Was Sans prepared to become famous? Was he prepared to follow this lifestyle?</p><p>Yes he was.</p><p>"I think I am happy with it," Sans said, "I do like how it looks. You can send it in."</p><p>        </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter 25 - A Distant Memory</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soft hair flopped against his face as Sans dropped it, soft lips pressed against each other. Morning rays of sun crept into the room, basking the once skeleton in the light of Paris. Cars hummed outside, creating a soft static of background noise for Sans to ease his mind for the day. </p><p>Mal lay next to him, arms crossed behind her head as they enjoyed the silence of the morning. Sans let out a hum of enjoyment to Mal, and she reflected it back.</p><p>Finally, they were just sitting back, and basking in their morning. A new life. This was what he always wanted. To get away from his problems, finally find acceptance in himself and everyone around him. Not that he hated the others he used to hang out with, but he did enjoy everyone in his life now.</p><p>Amber's prediction had been right, Sans did blow up. Not only did he already sky rocket with views and likes, people already recognized him as the next biggest fashion model. Wilbert's models always became famous, and the first picture alone sent people in a frenzy. Sans was the hottest model yet, some people had exclaimed.</p><p>Everything about his picture was perfect. The lighting, the angle, the hair, and the dress. All of that, combined with Sans' unusual 'perfection', made the image explode. If he stepped out of the front of the house and walked down the street, he could probably see some billboards with his face on them.</p><p>This was it. This was his new life now. Being a model, being in front of a camera. Sans even had to make new accounts for some social medias, where he would be representing himself as a model. He only had the three pictures posted from his very short time as a fashion model so far, and he already had well over a good chunk of followers. In just one day.</p><p>Wilbert had so many new ideas for clothes that it was a bit overwhelming to watch. As Sans' hair and skin were both unnatural colors, along with his eyes, that gave Wilbert a unique opportunity to create custom clothes to flatter Sans. The poor man had too many ideas, and too much excitement to stop following them. Most of his ideas were focused on blue, as that most suited Sans, but he had so much inspiration it was insane. Sans wasn't creative, but he couldn't understand how one person could balance so many ideas in their mind at once.</p><p>Sans actually enjoyed Wilbert's passion, heck, he enjoyed everyone's passion. Amber and Wilbert loved clothes, Sammy loved excitement and her witchcraft, Mal loved Sammy and organizing things, and Lucas loved to take photos. They all had hobbies and joys that they cared so deeply for, it was inspiring, really.</p><p>And the more Sans thought about it, he... actually liked being in front of the cameras. He liked how the pictures turned out, how he could finally find some sort of pride in his appearance, even if it wasn't his own body. Wilbert was so supportive it made Sans a mess, but he really did find he enjoyed Wilbert's presence. Maybe Sans should go see if he was awake, Wilbert had a tendency to stay up because he often got too excited with a creative spirit to even sleep that he ended up passing out in the morning from a lack of sleep. Sans definitely had to come up with a lot of new puns now, for sure. He needed to keep the pun train rolling, twas his purpose in life after all.</p><p>
  <em>"Malerie, you have to stay back!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A broad chest pushed her body back, but she was stronger, so she relented against the obstacle. Red lights flashed across the parking lot as Mal yelled out for her best friend. A part of the school in the corner of her vision could be seen as collapsed. An ambulance, someone was being boarded on. Pushing past the person, Mal gained a clearer vision of her friend. Her face was indescribable, stained with thick red blood, a hand falling limp at her side.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sammy!" Mal screeched, pushing aside more people. "No, you can't! Let me be with her! She needs me!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The next thing she knew, she was standing next to the bed. Sammy's face was badly injured, and there was stitch marks scattered across it. Soft brown eyes averted from Mal's, grasping at the sheets.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You wouldn't understand, Mal."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So... you did walk on that side of school on purpose," Mal whispered, narrowing her gaze. "You knew it was dangerous, and you knew... what are your parents going to do?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You don't need to divert the topic." Sammy grasped the sheets again. "I walked on that side of school to my classes because I knew it was dangerous, and I didn't tell the school that I knew the ceiling was going to collapse."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It already happened, didn't it?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That doesn't mean we can't talk about that. I know you're always focused on the future, but because of what I just did, there won't be a future. My parents are suing the school. We're moving."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mal's head snapped back down towards the girl she loved. "What? You're actually-?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sammy pulled aside hair softly. "My parents are a bit shy, but I still got hurt. They filed for it today, and they're pulling me out of my class. We're moving to Ebott City, the one next to the mountain."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Why did you do that? I don't understand!" Mal said, running a hand through her hair. "We- I-"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We aren't anything!" Sammy objected, blinking back tears. "And we never can be! Look at what you want, Mal! I'd only hold you back. I'm just some dumb cult girl who's gay, if you added that onto your pile of crap people don't like in the world you'll never get anywhere. Maybe after you succeed, but right now is the worst time for us to start dating."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But you aren't some cult girl, you and I both know that's not anywhere near what you do."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's what other people see, isn't it? When you try to finish college, they'll see everything that they find 'wrong'. Don't you dare say they won't, you know it's true. With racism and sexism, we can't add anything else onto your pile that you already struggle with. This is the time of our lives where we have to figure everything out, and you may not think so, but I've been dragging you down."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You shouldn't worry about that," Mal said, "You can't just give up a sexuality just because others will judge you, just like how you shouldn't give up your witchcraft. Who cares if some people don't like it, or if they judge you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm fine with them judging me," Sammy said, "I know that, but I'm not fine with them judging you!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is that why you walked on that side of school, just because you didn't want to be with me that much? Just so people wouldn't judge you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, no, not at all. You know I like thrill and excitement, and when I'm stuck in school all day, bored out of my mind, I need some excitement to keep me going. I drive like I do because I like the danger, that I like the risk of my life possibly ending. And I know it's weird, but... it gives an extra punch to my daily life, and I kind of... well, I like the scar. But I don't like it when people I care about are risking their futures just by being with me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't like it when the girl I love purposefully gets crushed under a school just because she's bored."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sammy blinked a few times, nodding. "I know, I talked to my Mom about it. I made a stupid decision, and I've been going downhill lately. But that's not your problem, that's mine, that I need to fix on my own. I know what I'm about to say is jealous, but I think it's about time we both got a little jealous. I have problems, you have problems, but we can't solve each others. You already have enough, it's not fair of me to dump more onto your plate. I can't keep doing this. I can't keep going to bed thinking about your problems, Mal. I really do lo... like you as a friend, but what we're doing isn't working. We're teenagers who are going to graduate soon, we should be fixing our problems and following our dreams, not obsessing over friends and crushes. Maybe one day we can reconnect, I'd like that, but I'd rather have us both be mentally and financially stable if we do ever start dating rather than risk both of our futures and mental health."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're right," Mal sighed, slumping back down against a chair. "I did sort of force that confession of love onto you, didn't I? That wasn't very fair to you, I'm sorry."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Mal, you always rush into things, and I do love that about you. You're determined, you persevere, you're strong and beautiful and- sorry, but you aren't immortal, and we aren't perfect. We're both struggling, and it isn't fair to either of us to bunch our problems together right when we're trying to figure out our futures. I'll always be your friend, I'll always be there to support you, and I really do care about you. But you have a goal in life, and you should follow that rather than this girl here. I haven't figured out myself yet, and I know I have to take a step back from you to get my life in order, as do you. I'd like to show you the best version of myself rather than drag you down with the worst version that walks through collapsing hallways on purpose. I'm sure we'll reconnect, but right now, just because we may have crushes, that doesn't excuse our problems, and our emotional strains we're facing. We have to address if we're even mentally ready to take another challenge when we're faced with so much." Sammy gave Mal a soft smile. "I would like for us to make it, but right now that's not going to happen with the path we're taking. Once you get into a more better position without many other problems, and once I have mine fixed, we can try. It won't excuse the problems we'd face, or the barriers we'd be stopped by, but it wouldn't throw another problem onto a pile while we're already strained as it is."</em>
</p><p>Blink.</p><p>Sans suddenly found himself jolting out of another memory, blinking back into the bedroom. So that was how it happened, huh.</p><p>Silence loomed over the two, Mal not acknowledging the memory she just gave Sans. Continuing to hover next to him, she stared upwards, no words exchanged from her.</p><p>"That was actually pretty mature of Sammy." Sans turned towards Mal. "Setting emotional boundaries like that, and admitting the truth of your predicament. Sure, love is nice, but when you're not emotionally or financially stable, it might destroy a relationship. She knew she had problems, and she knew she had to fix them herself. You can't fix them for her. Like you and me. You could be there for me and everything, but in the end it was me who had to get off my butt and do stuff. She was proactive about it, and she told you the utter truth."</p><p>"She told me the truth about how we couldn't be together, but that ironically just made me love her ten times more because she was so brutally honest," Mal said, turning towards the old skeleton. "But she was right. Just because people like each other doesn't mean they're emotionally ready for a relationship. I had to focus on getting away from my parents and getting a college degree, if I focused so much on Sammy I wouldn't have gotten this far. I mean, I wasn't doing great by limiting myself from everyone, but if I had thrown myself into a relationship with her I don't think we would have actually made it."</p><p>"Sometimes it's good to step back and take a break, and that's fine," Sans said, "Sammy saw she was hurting you and your dreams, not to mention herself, through that and she stopped it. Well, she stopped it at the worst time when you were worried about her, but you guys both did get better. You became more stable and firm, you got a decent job... that I quit from. I really messed up with you guys, didn't I?"</p><p>"Our plan did not involve a skeleton dying and taking my body." Mal snorted. "Either way, I'm kind of glad you did. You forced me to realize I had become so obsessed with success I never noticed I was about to fall into another hole I was digging,"</p><p>"To be honest, I kind of always thought you'd be the one to set those boundaries." Sans turned on his side, leaning against his propped up elbow. "It's surprising that Sammy stepped up and said that."</p><p>"Well," Mal turned on her own side, "I am always thinking about the future, yeah, but that's because I like to be challenged, and I don't like to sit still and never push myself. Sammy likes the thrill of excitement, but she's never wanted to drag down other people in her relationships. She's really caring, and if people looked past the witchcraft and her thrill of danger, she's really nice. She did that because she wanted to save our friendship, and she declined her own feelings because she cared about both her and myself. If we started dating when I confessed, I would have felt pressured to stay with her, so I would have stayed with my abusive family. I've thought about this alot, trust me, and I think it was a good decision that she made. It wasn't perfect, but it gave me a chance to work through some stuff, and her as well. I mean, she still sometimes drives recklessly, but she doesn't purposefully seek out dangerous things, and I've seen her calm down more. She's made progress, because she wanted to."</p><p>"I think it's pretty cool neither of you gave up. I mean, look at what you both did. Sure, you guys distanced yourself, but you acknowledged your mental problems and you worked on them. Some people willingly ignore their problems and expect their partners to fix them, but you both were proactive and didn't make yourselves burdens for each other. That's as cool as ice, pretty chill for you both. I wish I had that talk with Paps before, because if I had stepped back and looked over my own emotions, I could have fixed it. Honestly... I sort of just gave up trying and expected Papyrus to fix everything. It took dying for me to literally get my crap together."</p><p>"Hey, at least you got yourself together. You distanced yourself from Papyrus, and you're taking an active role for your happiness. You aren't being a model for anyone but yourself, and you're making sure you are happy now. It's a big change for everyone, but I know you're doing a lot better now."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess so. Everyone's figuring out everything, and we're finding our happiness now. You and Sammy are dating, Amber's following her career and spending time with her sister, and I'm just trying out modeling. Which... I think I'll stick with."</p><p>"That's good."</p><p>They fell to silence once more.</p><p>"Why do our discussions always turn serious like this?" Sans asked, "You wanna go grab some food?"</p><p>"I can't eat," Mal said, sticking out her tongue.</p><p>"Fine, you can watch me eat." Sans returned her look. "I'm hungry."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>A ketchup lid was popped open, the cool liquid sliding into his bowl of cereal. The kitchen was silent, except for the soft faint whimper of a breath, so quick and escaping that Sans thought Wilbert almost wasn't breathing.</p><p>Due to his excitement, poor Wilbert had passed out over some clothing designs he had been working on, face pressed down against the pages of the counter. He was so caring, wasn't he? Not only did he keep in mind Sans' love of ketchup, he had made it clear that his shopper should buy extra ketchup bottles for Sans. Now the fridge had a special shelf, just for Sans, filled with ketchup bottles. Not only did he have that, he even cleared out a room for Sammy to practice her witchcraft.</p><p>Sans had to admit, he liked people like that. He loved being near people who cared, that was why he loved his old friends so much. Well, they didn't care about him...</p><p>No. They were gone now. He was in Paris, surrounded by new friends. This was his life, and he was in control.</p><p>Sans gently lifted up a dark arm, swiping out some of the papers from under the slumbering man. He continued until he set aside the stack, pulling the blanket he had brought with him and gently draping it across the man's shoulders. Once that was done, he scurried off with his own bowl of ketchup covered cheerios, hugging the bowl close to his chest as he sought out the T.V.</p><p>Some of the designs looked really good.</p><p>He couldn't wait to wear them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Chapter 26 - The Ball (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Footsteps echoed around the hallway as Sans' messed up hair bounced. The once skeleton tore open the doors, his grip on Amber tightening as he threw himself down the stairs. His partially burnt dress dragged across the stairs, the building behind them rumbling with yells and screams.</p><p>"Guys, what the f*ck?" Sammy yelled from their limo, staring at the two with wide eyes as they grew closer.</p><p>"Later! We'll explain later!" Mal exclaimed, quickly floating into the car.</p><p>Behind them, a window shattered into fragments as Lucas' wife smashed through, her own dress tearing when she climbed out. When Sans stepped on another step, at his speed, his foot twisted, causing his glass heel to twist from his foot and to be left on the steps.</p><p>"Sans, your shoe!" Wilbert said from behind him, "You <em>are </em>like Cinderella! The Prince is going to find you!"</p><p>Sans turned, wide eyed as he stared at the shoe he had left behind. With a screech, he grabbed his purse with the multiple items shoved inside and smashed it against the custom made glass shoe, causing it to effectively shatter into pieces, just as the window did.</p><p>"I'm not letting that f*cker find me!" Sans heaved, grabbing Wilbert's wrist as Amber continued towards the car.</p><p>Finally, did Lucas exit the building, his hair ruffled, various lipstick smudges pressed against his face as he frantically tried to rub them off while he followed his wife towards their escape vehicle.</p><p>"I spent forever on that shoe!" Wilbert squealed at his destroyed work, forcefully dragged away from the remains by Sans with a burst of energy.</p><p>"Leave it! The dress they were for was already ruined!"</p><p>They all practically collapsed into the limo in a pile of arms and burnt clothes, everyone scrambling to get into the car faster than the others to escape the horrid party they had just ran from.</p><p>The front doors to the building burst open again as a man stepped out, locking his gaze onto Sans. Sans almost screamed when he saw the man's own intense blue eyes staring him down from above.</p><p>"Sans, my love, wait!" The man called out, rasing an arm towards the old skeleton. "Don't go!"</p><p>Then, Sans did scream when he noticed the male making his way down the stairs towards him. "Drive!"</p><p>"What?" Sammy yelled through all of the confusion.</p><p>"Drive drive drive!" Sans screamed, practically shaking her.</p><p>"Okay okay!"</p><p>Everyone in the limo suddenly was thrown against the seats as Sammy slammed her foot against the gas, speeding out of their designated spot before the man could get to their limo. Amber leaned the top half out of the window, flipping him off as they made their escape.</p><p>"Bye you piece of human sh*t!" Amber yelled, her own messed up hair flowing in the wind.</p><p>Once they had made their escape from the horrid party, everyone managed to untangle and settle down into their own respective seats. Lucas tried to wipe of the several lipstick stains from his face, but it was useless. Instead, his wife used the sleeve of her own dress to help him wipe down the smudges.</p><p>"If that brat ever touches you again, I will drop kick her," She muttered.</p><p>"Please show me some of that anger later in bed," Lucas wheezed.</p><p>"Now that you guys are in here," Sammy turned, looking at them with utter confusion. "What happened at the party?"</p><p>"It's a long story," Sans chuckled, running a hand through his hair.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>It had been a few days after Sans' original debut, and things were going well. Wilbert was working on more clothes for him, Amber was working side by side with him, and Sammy and Mal were enjoying their time together. Everything was doing just fine.</p><p>Sans did learn more about the two new males, though. Wilbert was an utter sweetheart, through and through. His background on his phone was of a cute puppy picture, and he seriously loved to compliment people. Not on their appearances, no, on who they were. Just as he did when they first met, he continued giving compliments to people, especially Sans. Sans sometimes found himself pressing his face against the counter, unable to fight against the tidal wave of friendliness hurdled at him.</p><p>Lucas was a bit different, but it was clear that him and Wilbert were best friends. Wilbert had a lot of best friends, apparently, but Lucas had been his main one before Sans and the others met him. The two were close, as Wilbert's naturally outgoing personality caused him to bring out the introverted people into the conversation. It felt easier to talk to him, and, if Lucas had been working for Wilbert for awhile, that must have really bought him out of his shell.</p><p>And it seemed poor Lucas had a habit of accidentally stumbling into situations. No, it was a serious talent of his to discover things he really didn't want to know. Apparently, before Wilbert had even met him, Lucas had accidentally stumbled into a giant scheme in the modeling industry, causing the downfall of a good chunk of models and fashion designers who had been knocking down others. Half of them were arrested for sexual harassment or assualt, and the other half had been arrested for various other reasons. That opening had been what led Wilbert to the top, and how he had met his wife.</p><p>It only continued from there. No wonder Lucas wasn't very confrontational, as he always had to deal with stuff like this. Not all of the things he walked into were bad, as he had walked into the room when his wife had been waiting for a pregnancy test, and it had just turned positive when he had entered. Lucas had been very happy about that event, even pulling out several pictures of his child to show the group. He really did love his family.</p><p>Most of the time, though, the events he walked into were... interesting. Lucas hadn't only just walked into the room while Sans was using magic, no. He also walked into the room while Sans had been talking to Mal, of which he couldn't see. Additionally, he had accidentally stumbled into Sammy's room while she had been performing a ritual. Of course he didn't ever talk about any of the stuff he's seen, Lucas probably has seen so much other weird stuff the man was going insane. You could not keep secrets from Lucas, because he will accidentally stumble into them at every given chance.</p><p>"... And then you have to set up the right candles, as some spirits don't come without the right candles," Sammy had been explaining when Sans walked into the kitchen.</p><p>"I don't understand what any of this means, but I'm happy you're happy!" Wilbert said, offering her a thumbs up before he noticed Sans. "Oh my god, it's Sans! Hi Sans!"</p><p>Sans chuckled at his reaction, shuffling towards the fridge to return the thumbs up. Wilbert was like an excited puppy whenever he noticed a friend of his, bouncing up and down in his seat whenever Sans entered a room.</p><p>"Heya," Sans said, grabbing out another bottle of ketchup. "We needa ketchup on that thing you mentioned earlier."</p><p>"Thing? Very descriptive, Sans," Mal said, hovering down towards the counter.</p><p>"Oh, right! I should have explained more! Sorry, sorry! I got too excited!" Wilbert said, clapping his hands together. "Thank you for remembering! You're such a beautiful night sky, Sans, that rivals the beauty of Paris with a memory of a thousand stars."</p><p>"The- Can you tell me about the thing?" Sans asked, "Without any compliments?"</p><p>"It's not physically possible for me to not compliment people."</p><p>As he spoke, Wilbert brought out his phone, clicking on some buttons before he quickly skimmed the screen.</p><p>"You had a good start the other day, but that's only for how you look in my clothes, which is stunning, but still. The people need to see your personality, see how you interact with others. You haven't started posting on your twitter yet, all you have are pictures. People have to see the amazing personality you have, Sans!"</p><p>"About twitter, I was thinking about posting a daily pun," Sans said, grinning.</p><p>Wilbert smiled at him. "That sounds amazing, I would love to hear a daily pun from you. But first-" He twisted the phone. "I think this is a great way to start your career."</p><p>"A ball?" Sans blinked his blue eyes in confusion.</p><p>"Like, from Cinderella?" Sammy asked, "Something like that? Are we going to be cutting off our toes to fit into glass slippers?"</p><p>"Exactly like Cinder- No, not that version!" Wilbert said, "It's going to be like a celebrity ball, a lot of famous people go there, and I bring my models every year. You could meet a lot of people, mingle around, and then leave. We're going to be bringing Lucas' wife and you are going to love her. They are absolutely adorable together."</p><p>"Sure, I'll go," Sans said, "Are we all going?"</p><p>"I don't want to," Sammy said, holding up her hands. "Sorry, that doesn't sound fun at all. I'm not into big things like that, I don't mind being the driver, though, and just staying in the car. Like a getaway driver."</p><p>"I don't think we'd need a getaway driver for some party," Sans snorted.</p><p>"It can take a few hours, are you sure you want to stay in the car?" Wilbert asked, looking down at his phone again. "You don't have to come if you'd rather stay here."</p><p>"No, I like driving, it'd be fun to drive there. And I could talk- well, call Mal." Sammy corrected herself mid sentence, nervously playing with her hair. "I like driving, and I could also listen to music while I wait."</p><p>"You said this is going to be like Cinderella," Sans said, narrowing his eyes at Wilbert. "Did you make a Cinderella inspired dress?"</p><p>Wilbert grinned. "Yup! It's almost done, but we have a few days to prepare. The glass heels were what took the longest, really. I had to go have them custom made."</p><p>"Um... Wilbert..."</p><p>Sans leaned against his arm, cradling the ketchup bottle on the counter.</p><p>"Hm?" Wilbert asked.</p><p>"I don't know how to walk in heels."</p><p>Once Sans gave him that information, Wilbert finally connected the pieces together. Sans didn't know how to walk in normal heels. He was going to a party to present himself in front of everyone in a few days, and he'd have to walk the entire time. The heels were made out of glass as well.</p><p>"Oh," Wilbert said, "Whoops."</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Chapter 27 - The Ball (Part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With a happy smile, Wilbert gently set down the right shoe. Everything was good. The dress was done, the shoes were done, and they had enough time for Sans to practice walking in heels! Wilbert knew how to himself, he never would design clothes for people if he's never tried the clothes himself so he knew how to properly make them feel comfortable. There was no shame in a man or woman wearing different clothing, so it didn't bother him. He couldn't try on the glass heels though, and he couldn't try on the dress, as they were specially tailored for Sans' measurements.</p><p>Wilbert stood up, pushing his small ponytail over his shoulder. Sans was in the shower right now, usually she took awhile, longer then Sammy and Amber, even. He should probably go check on her progress.</p><p>When he reached the bathroom door, he could hear quiet swears muttered over the shower head. Wilbert lightly knocked his hand against the door.</p><p>"Sans, I was wondering how longer you'd be in there. We have time, but I just put some cookies in the oven and they might be cold if you take too long," Wilbert said.</p><p>"Wilbert? F*ck, um... I have a question!"</p><p>"Okay?" Wilbert asked. Sans sounded worried, did she slip?</p><p>"If I put the conditioner first, is my hair going to catch on fire?"</p><p>Wilbert squinted towards the door. "... What?"</p><p>"I kind of mixed up the shampoo and conditioner bottles, and I know I'm supposed to use shampoo first, but I accidentally just squirted out a bunch of conditioner into my hair. Is it going to catch on fire? I know water isn't good for putting out grease fires and there's no fire thingies, whatever they're called, in here-"</p><p>"How did you get grease fires out of conditioner going before shampoo?" Wilbert asked.</p><p>"Sammy said my hair looked greasy."</p><p>Wilbert stifled a giggle into his hand, finding the ignorant response utterly adorable. Sans had to be, hands down, his best, best friend. Wilbert loved hanging out with her all the time, her jokes were fantastic. He loved to hang out with everyone, sure, but Sans had that extra flare and charm to her that others didn't. A good friend, if he was to say.</p><p>"No, it's fine," Wilbert said, "She meant something else when she was talking about your hair."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>After the shower question, Sans had finished, blow drying his hair. It was odd, how quickly his hair was able to dry compared to others, and how it never technically needed to be brushed. His hair always remained so smooth and fluffy that it was a question if he even needed to bother to care for his hair. With his magic flowing through the human body, it made his hair more silky and smooth.</p><p>"That's the dress you made me?" Sans said, "Just... Wow."</p><p>It was simple, but maybe that was what made it so effective. The top half of the dress was a darker shade of blue, sparkling under the sunlight. The bottom half seemed to glow with a lighter blue, and if he were to combine that with his unique human body...</p><p>What really stuck out, however, were the glass slippers, or heels in this case. Sans didn't expect them to made out of literal glass, but they were. Wilbert was not lying. Custom made, entirely out of glass, and Sans had to walk in them.</p><p>"We're not going to practice in them, don't worry," Wilbert said, "I brought another pair of high heels that are the same size for yout o practice in. And if you want, you can walk with one of us in case you lose your balance. Like Amber."</p><p>"Dude, look at my dress!" Amber said, holding up her own specially made dress. "It looks awesome, Wilbert even helped me get the materials."</p><p>"Your combination of the different fabrics is your staple fashion design, it's a great way for you to get started as well!" Wilbert said. "Now, for you're hair I was thinking of a low hanging ponytail, so it's put up enough, but it doesn't lose the charm of Cinderella. The dress was inspired by Cinderella, and I want that 'normal girl turned into a Princess' charm. Who knows, maybe you'll even meet your Prince Charming!"</p><p>"Really? I highly doubt that," Sans said, "Unless some guy delivers ketchup on a silver platter, no thanks."</p><p>"But romance!" Wilbert gasped, "I love romance. Seriously, I cannot wait to see Lucas and his wife, they're so adorable it's amazing. Oh, oh, maybe one of your glass heels will slip off and he would have to kneel down and put it back on for you! Aw, that'd be amazing."</p><p>"I'm not trying to look out and find a date at this ball thing, no thanks," Sans said, holding up his hands.</p><p>"These sorts of parties always have amazing food, like seriously," Amber said, "That's why I'm going. And for the fashion thingy as well, but the food... yeah, food is good."</p><p>"If they have luxury ketchup, man, I am golden," Sans said, grinning at Amber.</p><p>"Are you ready to practice in your heels?" Wilbert asked, holding up a pair of red heels.</p><p>"Not in the slightest."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>"Okay, now take a step-"</p><p>Thud.</p><p>"Try leaning against the wall-"</p><p>Thud.</p><p>Sans wasn't talented wearing high heels. In the slightest.</p><p>It had been over half an hour, and progress was nonexistent. Sans couldn't seem to retain his balance, and ended up falling or slipping at any given opportunity. His balance was mockable, because Sans wasn't used to his body weighing so much. As a skeleton, he never had any of this extra fat and organs, all he had were bones, which made his body entirely lighter. The worst part to adjusting to this human body was probably the balance, and now that he had to wear heels, it made it so much worse.</p><p>No, nevermind, by far the worst part of being a human was the stupid periods. Which would be coming up soon.</p><p>Kill him. Again.</p><p>"Sans, you are so terrible at this." Amber had long since lost interest in her show, instead focusing on the much better view in front of her.</p><p>"Sure, she may not be experienced, but that doesn't mean she can't learn, or that she's not talented in other areas!" Wilbert said, "Sans, have you ever worn high heels before?"</p><p>"Nope," Sans said.</p><p>Wilbert helped up the poor man, helping ease his balance into a standing position. Sans could barely stand in the high heels without his feet giving out. Why were high heels so hard to wear?</p><p>"I think you're standing wrong," Wilbert said, keeping his hands on Sans' shoulders to keep him steady. "You keep pressing down too hard against the soles of your feet. You don't wear heels like that. You just have to walk normally without putting any pressure on any specific location of the heels."</p><p>"Oh, okay."</p><p>Sans adjusted his feet, lessening the pressure on the backs. He had been purposefully pressing his feet firmly against the back, that was just how he felt heels had to be worn. Due to having less weight, Sans found himself more steady, his ankles not twisting out at any given chance anymore for him to slip.</p><p>"Shoot, that does make a difference," Sans said.</p><p>"Here, let's practice walking," Wilbert said.</p><p>He gingerly took a step back, and Sans followed, gripping onto his shoulders for support as he took a shaking step of his own. This time, he managed to do it!</p><p>Until Amber threw an orange at Sans, causing him to fall to the side like a defenseless bowling pin.</p><p>"Amber!" Wilbert said.</p><p>"What?" Amber said, blinking with false innocence.</p><p>"Orange you glad it wasn't at least a banana?" Sans asked from the ground.</p><p>"Don't knock her over, she needs to practice!"</p><p>Wilbert helped up Sans again, hugging him to his chest and shooting a pouting face at Amber, using his own body to block Sans'.</p><p>"It was my only orange, don't worry," Amber said.</p><p>"Revenge!"</p><p>Without Wilbert having noticed, Sans had grabbed the orange from the ground, and then chucked it back at Amber with no hesitation. It hit her shoulder lightly,l Amber gasping with mocked offense.</p><p>"That's it, time for the banana!" Amber threatened, grabbing a banana from the fruit tray.</p><p>"No throwing fruit in my house!" Wilbert said, "Especially not when Sans is trying to glow like the beautiful moon she is!"</p><p>"I'm more of a walrus," Sans said.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>The day of the ball.</p><p>It was here.</p><p>Lucas was excited to go to an event with his wife, practically beaming the entire morning. This wasn't the first time he's visited these types of events, nor was it Wilbert's, and they seemed to easily flow through the movements of the morning, preparing. Lucas was going to be taking a few pictures, but also be spending time with his wife, and with everyone else. It'd be a good time to get to know him a little better.</p><p>Wilbert had been right about his hair. After they fitted on the dress for Sans (which looked and fit perfectly, of course it did) he had pulled in Sans' hair for a low hanging ponytail. It did capture the look of Cinderella, but in Wilbert's own twist, which only added to the eloquence Sans held.</p><p>Amber herself was wearing her own clothes, a dress made out of several different materials fashioned together. It was shorter, and looked more eloquent, but it held the taste that only Amber held. Of course, as she was wearing heels as well, Sans decided it fit to throw an orange at her, and the two escalated into another food fight before Amber mentioned how "priceless" it was, making Sans frown at her large grin.</p><p>One bad joke, and this was how it turned out.</p><p>Sammy wasn't wearing anything new, retaining her darker clothes. When she had been given the keys to the limo, she looked to be sparkling with emotions, eager to take control of the large vehicle. Sans was hoping it had thick seatbelts.</p><p>Lucas was wearing a plain suit of his own, wearing white clothes that matched his freckles. He also couldn't wait to pick up his wife, talking all day about her. He really did like her.</p><p>Wilbert, though, was wearing a normal black suit. Instead of wearing a tie, he instead wore a bowtie, which very much suited his personality. It made Sans laugh for a solid minute with how much it fit Wilbert. His hair remained pulled back into its normal ponytail.</p><p>"I'm not letting you slide them onto my feet."</p><p>Sans crossed his arms, looking away with a blush. When Wilbert had said he took inspiration from Cinderella, Sans didn't expect it to go this far. He shifted in the dress again, looking at Wilbert's sad face.</p><p>"Pleaasseee?" Wilbert begged, "It's from Cinderella!"</p><p>The pure fairytale lover of Wilbert was shining through at that moment, shimmering along his deep brown eyes. Sans tilted his head back and groaned, plopping down onto the couch.</p><p>"Fine," He sighed. "But I can put them on myself."</p><p>"If you want to truly follow the fairytale, Sans needs two step sisters that get jealous and cut off parts of their feet to fit into the slipper," Sammy said from her spot.</p><p>"So you mean you and Amber?" Lucas asked from his own spot, balancing the camera on his lap. </p><p>"Dude, I'm down," Amber said, grinning at Sammy.</p><p>The conversation was lost to Sans was Wilbert quickly knelt down, gently lifting one of Sans' feet up at an angle to slip the glass slipper underneath his foot. Cold glass pressed against his skin as it slid up, tickling the underside of his foot before it fit into place. When Wilbert was done, he lowered that foot, then moved onto the next one, more excited about reenacting a favorite story of his to even notice the conversation that continued to move on.</p><p>"If we're the step sisters," Sammy said, gesturing towards Lucas. "You're obviously the Step Mother. So I think you die-"</p><p>"Die?" Lucas asked, adjusting his glasses. "I thought she just was left behind or something."</p><p>"I think there was also like cannibalism or something, wasn't there?" Sammy asked, "Or am I thinking about some other story..."</p><p>"Dude, if there was actual cannibalism in Cinderella's original story, I'd read that all the time," Amber said.</p><p>"Really?" Sammy asked.</p><p>"No."</p><p>Another glass heel followed the first, Sans leaning back against the couch in his embarrassment. It was supposed to be a romantic moment from the original story, but here it just felt... awkward. He and Wilbert weren't romantic, they were just good friends! Sure, Wilbert was nice and sweet, but that didn't automatically mean they were dating.</p><p>"You look as beautiful as a swan in the night pond, ready to spread her wings and fly into the moon's light," Wilbert said, cupping his hands together as he looked at Sans.</p><p>"Did you ever major on poetry or something?" Sans asked.</p><p>"I wish," Wilbert said, "That's actually a good idea!"</p><p>"You'd pass, top of your class, for sure," Amber said.</p><p>"Well, I guess we're all ready!" Wilbert said, looking around. "It's time to go!"</p><p>        </p>
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<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Chapter 28 - The Ball (Part 3)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Are you ready?"</p><p>Those had been the words spoken to Sans earlier, and he had nodded. For once, he was excited. He wanted to be out in public, he finally found pride in who he was, and he was willing to show it off.</p><p>Lights flashed across Sans' body as he stepped out, the pressure of the high heels causing him to grasp onto the nearest arm, causing him to latch onto Wilbert. Wilbert didn't acknowledge it with words, instead offering his arm more for Sans to hold more naturally. Sans took him on that offer, following his friend out of the limo and onto the red carpet spread out before them.</p><p>It was easy to tell who were naturals, and who weren't. Wilbert stood strong, likely used to the constant pictures, waving and smiling away to people as he walked. The man moved with eloquence, flowing down the path like he belonged.</p><p>Who really shined under the spotlight, though, was Lucas' wife.</p><p>She walked with utter confidence, black hair bouncing with her movements. Apparently, she had been one of Wilbert's models before, before she decided to quite and instead raise her family. Being a model was never her full time idea for a job, it had just been a gig for some money. In the end, it was how she met Lucas, so it was a good outcome.</p><p>Abigail was pale, with slick black hair that seemed to flow in the wind. She had taken the front, leading her less confident husband behind her. Wilbert had wanted to fashion her as Snow White, but she had turned him down. She wasn't here for fashion, that had long passed over. Instead, she was here to spend sometime with her husband and her old friend, not to mention meet the new model that would be taking her place.</p><p>Amber walked awkwardly between the two couples, offering finger guns to everyone around them. She didn't seem embarrassed about being on the red carpet, if anything she seemed in awe, her dreams finally coming true before her very eyes.</p><p>When Sans stepped out, though, it seemed all hell broke loose.</p><p>But his answer stayed the same from earlier. He was ready.</p><p>Sans stood tall, walking on the glass heels as he held onto Wilbert's arm for support. To anyone else, it simply looked like Sans was accompanying Wilbert by holding his arm, like a couple would, but really it was for extra support. Sans could walk in heels fine now, but he didn't want to take any chances. This would help him get on his feet, as the event would take a few hours, and easing his way into walking awhile would be beneficial.</p><p>Sans offered his usual wide grin, letting his blue eyes sparkling as he gently, almost slowly, waved at everyone around them. His dress softly carried in the breeze, his hair flowing with each step he took. Cameras flashed around him, noise lifting up with different voices, but Sans found that he actually enjoyed this. Walking down the red carpet, attending an event private to the outside world, it was fun. There was a sense of excitement that buzzed through his body, It was nice, to feel excited, to not have to go over the top just to make himself feel happy. Here he was, next to his friend, walking into an event they had been preparing for.</p><p>What could go wrong?</p><p>The ball room was large, a chandelier made from glittering glass sprawling out above them. Sans turned slowly as he captured each beautiful image of the expensive looking room, causing his hair to twirl. Wilbert giggled at Sans' reaction. He remembered how he first acted here as well.</p><p>"Are you ready?"</p><p>The question was repeated again. It was too late to turn back from the party, but he was asking about the socializing. The whole point of attending was for Sans to get out, to make connections.</p><p>Sans turned, his grin pulled onto his face. "Yeah, let's go."</p><p>And just like that, they were off.</p><p>Sans' original plan had been to follow what Abigail did, but after watching her, he realized that wouldn't work for him. She was like a swan, eloquent in her movements, flowing from person to person. Mainly, though, she seemed disinterested, rather talking to Lucas and standing behind his camera with him. Sometimes Sans would catch snippets of her grabbing Lucas' tie, leaning in towards his ear and whispering things to him that'd quickly turn his face redder than his own ginger hair.</p><p>So, instead, Sans decided to just be himself. So he cracked jokes, made puns, overall remained calm and laid back. It really seemed to work, as his personality, matched with his looks, seemed to ease everyone around him into a sense of comfortability. Sans moved from person to person, shaking hands and learning names. Everyone that left him and Wilbert left with a smile.</p><p>However, Wilbert was pulled away at some point, leaving Sans on his own. The old skeleton found himself with Abigail and Lucas, as he realized he should probably try to bond more with the other two.</p><p>"You're doing great, hun," Abigail said, resting a hand on Sans' shoulder as she leaned against the wall next to him. "You looked so worried in the car I thought your little head was going to pop clean off. But you're doing great."</p><p>"Once I get into the swing of things, usually I can just work with the flow," Sans said, "But it's fantastic to meet you. Lucas talks about you at least once a day."</p><p>"I know, I love him so much," Abigail sighed, letting her hazel eyes drift over to her husband. "I did make a big impression on him when we first met. He had been a photographer, and it was when I was starting my fashion career. There was a man who tried to touch me, and I may have... roundhouse kicked him in the face."</p><p>"Holy sh*t," Sans snorted, crossing his arms to look at her.</p><p>"I'm not ashamed, the man was trying to touch me and I simply defended myself." She drew a hand down the front of her dress, smoothing the ruffles. "Being a model wasn't really my thing, though. I only really worked for Willy because he was nice, but now that Lucas and I have settled down, I'm fine with being a stay at home Mother and taking care of our kid."</p><p>"A lot of girls repulse that idea of a life," Sans said, "Don't you?"</p><p>"It's one of the wrong ideas 'feminists' come up with." Abigail sighed. "Woman are free to make their own choices, and being a model, or a stay at home Mom, is just as much justification as running a company or becoming a wrestler. And that's not to say that Lucas and I don't have our equal work around the house. I have a lot of savings from my modeling career, and with his photography, we both pay well. He also changed the diapers and took care of the baby just as much as I did when out kid was still an infant, and he does as many chores as myself. But I like being at home, making sure our little one is fed, making cute little snacks with faces on them for lunches. And people assume that I'd be the bottom, ha, as if."</p><p>"You've been whispering things about your sexual life this entire time, haven't you?" Sans asked her.</p><p>Abigail winked at him. "Guilty."</p><p>Sans turned to watch Amber from across the room, the excited female rapidly shaking hands with another famous fashion designer. This was probably her heaven, really. Surrounded by famous fashion designers and models, able to meet and greet all of them, and also show off her work? No doubt she was having a blast.</p><p>"I'm glad Wilbert has a good new friend, though," Abigail said, "I have to say, if I was attracted to woman, I'd be all over you. Seriously, that hair and that skin? Not to mention those eyes? You know you've been eyed up by everyone in this room at least once, right?"</p><p>Candles burned around them as Sans nodded. "Yeah, everyone tends to do that. But how do you feel about Lucas and you going polyamorous?"</p><p>"Sans, you seem like a nice girl, but Lucas is mine. I've claimed the little sweetie, and his adorable shy little face. I'm taken, and so is he."</p><p>"I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about that girl over there."</p><p>Sans pointed, leading Abigail's attention to the situation transpiring in front of them. Lucas had been trying to take a picture of a model, but another model had started dragging him away, loudly flirting with the man as he looked extremely uncomfortable. She had even leaned up and planted a firm, wet kiss on his cheek without his consent, leaning a red smearing of lip stick.</p><p>"... Someone's not going to be found by the police tonight," Abigail muttered under her breath, pressing her purse against Sans' chest before he could even respond. "Hold that for me."</p><p>By that point, the young model, who even looked underaged, was dragging Lucas away as he stuttered up awkwardly worded excuses. As they disappeared behind a corner, Abigail chased after them, her own black hair disappearing behind the corner. Sans held the purse awkwardly, standing there in his silence. Something was about to go down, that was for sure.</p><p>At least she was going to get Lucas out of there. Poor guy looked so uncomfortable, really.</p><p>Sans looked around the large room, trying to figure out what to do. Talk to Wilbert? Nah, he looked busy with some other people. Lucas was no doubt going to witness another event, one Sans was fine not watching. Amber was still talking to fashion designers, a notebook pulled out as she wrote down pointers. Mal and Sammy were no doubt having some girlfriend time in the car, so there was no need to drag Mal into this. Man, Sans really did need to get a boyfriend.</p><p>"Excuse me, Ma'am."</p><p>Sans turned to find a ketchup bottle outheld for him, literally on a silver platter. He followed the arm up to find dark blue eyes, thick blonde hair with gel pushed back.</p><p>"I'm Travis," He hummed, "Would you like some ketchup?"</p><p>Oh no, he was hot.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Chapter 29 - The Ball (Part 4)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was as if he had been swept from his feet by Travis. After being given a delicious cup of ketchup, they had done a dance in the ballroom, then he had pulled Sans into a side room on the second floor to talk.</p><p>Travis was nice, and very charming, if he were to add. The man spoke softly, easing Sans into a state of comfort. He seemed interested in Sans, at least, and did give him a lot of ketchup. He even referenced to Sans as his Princess, which was nice.</p><p>Travis watched from the side as Sans finished the fourth cup of ketchup he gave him, Sans practically polishing it off in one fell swoop. Maybe he should stop accepting all of these ketchup bottles from this guy, there was other good food downstairs that he had to save room for. Which reminded Sans that he wanted to try some with Amber, they were food buddies after all.</p><p>Crisp moonlight cut through the window, shining down onto Sans and his dress. As if he was the only light in the room, Sans' dress created more light than the candles did, the skeleton man setting down his ketchup bottle onto a table.</p><p>"So, tell me more about yourself, my lovely Princess," Travis said, head tilting in the shadows of the room.</p><p>"Heh, well, I ain't really a Princess," Sans chuckled.</p><p>"You are in my eyes."</p><p>Sans blushed at the comment, averting his eyes towards the ketchup container. It had tasted a little saltier than normal, but maybe it was just really fancy ketchup. After all, he was attending a very fancy party, it made sense.</p><p>"But how come you don't tell me about yourself, Travis?" Sans asked, "You've been talking about me this entire time, I want to learn a little bit about you as well."</p><p>"I'm not as interesting, or beautiful, or perfect as you," He said.</p><p>Sans chuckled, running a hand through his hair. Those comments were quite common, from both Travis and Wilbert, so why did it feel so... off?</p><p>Travis was doing nothing but being nice to Sans, even complimenting him, but Sans couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable each time he talked. Wilbert and travis both complimented him, why did Travis' feel so wrong when Wilbert's felt fine?</p><p>It was as if a dark current flowed through each word, like there was a second motive behind him. Sans was so lost in his thought trying to figure it out that he didn't notice the hand until it was gently cupping under his chin, turning his head towards Travis.</p><p>"You are so beautiful and perfect, I've never met another woman that is as amazing as you are." Travis gave a soft smile. "Why don't you leave Wilbert's company and work for me instead?"</p><p>"Nah." Sans grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from his chin. "I like where I am, sorry."</p><p>Travis hummed to himself. "Are you feeling alright?"</p><p>"Feeling alright?"</p><p>Sans squinted his eyes at the human, trying to figure out what he meant. Sure, he was charming and everything, but he always talked about Sans, it felt like. He never once did talk about himself, and only seemed interested in the 'girl' in front of him. Not to mention how he kept bringing drinks from-</p><p>Oh.</p><p>Just like that, in connected together. Sans heaved himself a few feet back, clenching his teeth as he realized what this Travis guy had been trying to do this entire time.</p><p>"Did you f*cking drug me?" Sans hissed.</p><p>Drugs didn't work on skeletons, and even in a human body, it wouldn't work on Sans. He had learned that in the hospital, when the painkillers had no impact on his pain whatsoever. No wonder this guy led him to this room, and why he had been talking to Sans about himself?</p><p>"I was supposed to bring you to the market, but I think I'd rather keep you for myself," Travis admitted.</p><p>Sans took another step back, his feet wobbling from the high heels. Travis must have taken this as a sign that the drugs were kicking in, but Sans felt normal. Creeped the hell out, but normal health wise.</p><p>Was this guy planning to kidnap him? Seriously?</p><p>"It's okay, we can just sell that sister of yours, human trafficking isn't very kind to beautiful woman like yourself," Travis said, "You're so perfect, so beautiful, I can't let someone like you go."</p><p>"Sister?" Sans asked, "You were going to grab Amber?"</p><p>"Not myself, but my friend... don't worry, younger females sell a lot more, I could use the money to buy you some cute frilly dresses. I even have the perfect room to set you up inside of, and-"</p><p>Sans lunged.</p><p>Simply hearing that he was going to target Amber had set off the older sibling in Sans, causing him practically bodyslam into the man in front of him. Travis had definitely not been expecting it, as he probably had just been talking until Sans passed out, so he didn't expect a drugged person to suddenly find enough strength to knock them both down.</p><p>But Sans did find that strength, thanks to Mal working out before she died, effectively causing them both to tumble forward. A loose, sharp end of something caught onto the bottom of Sans' dress, a loud tear ripping through the air. Sans grabbed the nearest thing from the fallen table, it being a large book, and slammed it down against his face. Travis, however, seemed to recover quickly, grabbing Sans' wrists and flipping them upside down.</p><p>"Don't worry, my Princess," Travis said, giggling lightly. "You're so beautiful and perfect, once you're asleep, you'll be mine. I've been following you all night, it's okay! We'll be together once I get you away from Will!"</p><p>"Yer a crazy fellow!" Sans said, snapping one of his legs back and connecting with his chest.</p><p>When Sans twisted onto his side to get up, he caught a faint whiff of something... something burning. Only then did he realize that they had also knocked one of the many candles over on the table, and that Travis had accidentally pushed Sans' very flammable dress onto it.</p><p>Sans was on fire.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Lucas ducked behind a table, panting lightly. He just wanted to take pictures, why did it always end up like this? Everytime he tried to do anything, something always happened! With Sans and her magic, or with the whole scheme in the fashion industry before. Why couldn't he just have one normal event? Just one?</p><p>It was always like this, wasn't it? Lucas always stumbled into events, and while he wished he didn't, he had a streak of bad luck when it came to these things.</p><p>Now there was a girl, an underaged girl, hitting on him. His face was covered in red lipstick, even some drool, and he wanted to curl under a table and die. That sounded like a good idea.</p><p>Maybe Sans was having a better time than him?</p><p>Lucas knew a little about her, and she was pretty entertaining to hang out with. She was more quiet and calm, and he liked that about her.</p><p>The redhead took a small peak out of his hiding spot, adjusting his glasses. The girl was gone, whew. Maybe he could find his wife, or anyone else.</p><p>All he wanted to do was take pictures! He loved taking pictures, why couldn't he just simply do that?</p><p>Lucas crept out from behind the table, making his way to the second floor. If he could find anyone, that'd be fantastic.</p><p>Once he found his way upstairs, he moved to duck inside of a side room, hopefully to hide himself from the crazy girl that seemed to love to make out with his face. No thanks, his face was reserved for his wife, not for some underaged girl.</p><p>When he opened the door, he saw fire.</p><p>Large flames crept up the curtains, and on Sans <em>herself</em>. She was frantically slapping a pillow against her dress until the fire burnt out, another man that had been eyeing her the entire night standing up. Both of their clothes looked ruffled, like they had broken out into a fight. The man stood, a small trail of blood dribbling from his nose.</p><p>"Sans, what-"</p><p>"Go!"</p><p>Sans was knocking Lucas out of the doorway, the two tumbling out into the hallway. Before Lucas could even ask, Sans was running down the hall, screaming out Amber's name. The man that had been in the room tumbled out, shoving Lucas to the side as he started his chase. Lucas opened his mouth, the closed it as he caught sight of the room still on fire next to him.</p><p>Right, there was a fire. He should probably run.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Amber tilted her drink back over the trashcan, watching the soda spill away. She had looked away from it, and she didn't trust drinks she ever looked away from at parties. With a sigh, she dropped the can into the trash, followed by her plate of food. Wasting food really did suck, she loved food.</p><p>"Hey."</p><p>Amber turned to see Mal, floating in front of her. Why did she look so worried?</p><p>"Are you okay?" Mal asked.</p><p>"Uh, yeah...?" Amber asked, "Is everything alright?"</p><p>Mal took a glance around the room. "Sans suddenly became really scared, Amber. About your safety. I know you're pretty independent, and Sans knows that too... and the fact that he's not with you but he's suddenly extremely scared is making me worried."</p><p>"What would he be worried about?" Amber asked.</p><p>"Excuse me," A man's voice hummed.</p><p>Amber turned to find a tall, adult male standing there. He continued to talk to her quietly, as if making sure no one else could hear their conversation. "You seemed a bit lonely, so perhaps we could go to one of the back rooms. Or I could drive you home, you might need to go back home to your parents-"</p><p>"RAPE!"</p><p>Amber jerked her right foot up, hooking it right between his legs. The man yelped from the sudden attack, everyone in the room turning from Amber's sudden screech.</p><p>"Amber, what the f*ck?" Mal asked.</p><p>"He's been staring at me all f*cking night, and he's been following me around. He's a rapist, or a pedophile, or both. He's something creepy, and since you said Sans is worried about me, I mean-"</p><p>"Fire!"</p><p>As if Amber had just set off a trigger of events by screaming "rape", everything had broken out.</p><p>Sans ran into the large room first, is dress partially burned and his hair ruffled. He stumbled slightly on the heels before he ran up to Amber, almost tripping on the guy she just kicked where it would definitely hurt.</p><p>"Sans?" Wilbert asked.</p><p>"Human traffickers, they were trying to drug us! We gotta skedaddle!" Sans explained loudly, latching onto Amber's wrist.</p><p>"A room is on fire!" Lucas explained as he burst into the room, "Everyone out!"</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>"Yikes, human traffickers?" Sammy asked.</p><p>The limo had been parked by now, as they had managed to get a good distance away. Lucas had managed to finally get the lipstick stains from his face, and instead Abigail had started to replace them with her own, pecking his face multiple times. Lucas shyly giggled, hugging back his wife as they recovered from the weird encounter they had.</p><p>"Oh no, I'm so sorry! I would have never brought you if I realized there were people like that there!" Wilbert said.</p><p>"Travis didn't even want to sell me, though, he talked about setting me up in some room and buying me frilly dresses to wear." Sans shivered at the thought. "No wonder he brought me ketchup, he knew I liked it! He'd been stalking me the entire event!"</p><p>"I'll make sure to report this to the Police," Wilbert said, pulling out his phone. "Again, I am super duper sorry! Usually these events are a lot more better, and fun, I promise!"</p><p>"It sucked," Amber laughed as she spoke, leaning back in her seat. "I just found out one of my fashion idols works for human trafficking, and that he was going to kidnap Sans and sell me away? Haha, awkward..."</p><p>"I can go back and beat the sh*t out of him if you'd like," Abigail offered, cracking her knuckles.</p><p>"That wouldn't do much," Mal commented from the front.</p><p>"Yeah, that wouldn't do much," Sammy said, "Let's just make sure the authorities know."</p><p>Sirens flashed in the distance from where they had just come from, no doubt some firefighters thrown into the mix.</p><p>"Can we go get some food?" Amber asked.</p><p>"You were just almost kidnapped, and you're focused on food?" Abigail asked.</p><p>"I think I'm going to- yeah, I'm going to indeed."</p><p>Sans rolled down the window next to him and leaned his head out. After everything that just happened, he only had one response to it all.</p><p>He threw up.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Chapter 30 - Wedding Talk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Things were good again.</p><p>Time had passed, and the news reported the event in favor of Sans and Wilbert. What really helped them was the evidence that Lucas had unknowingly collected. When the photographer had been scrolling through his images, he found snippets of Travis and his friends drugging both Sans' ketchup and Amber's soda in the background of a few pictures. When he turned it in, along with the testimony of many people at the party, the offenders had been arrested, and Sans was displayed as the poor, innocent victim of the whole party.</p><p>It really did work wonders when the story had been told by him, the sheer amount of support he was getting was insane. The poor, innocent girl had attended a party, and almost got tricked into getting kidnapped before she escaped with her dress in flames as a price. Not to mention how she wasn't worried about herself, but instead of her 'sister'.</p><p>Things really blew up, and Sans' popularity skyrocketed. Everyone loved a good victim story, didn't they? Well, Sans was in fact the victim, but he was never in any danger. He had magic, he had immunity, if anything he had been seriously creeped out.</p><p>Days passed, before they collected into weeks, and Sans' career was really starting to get popularity. Why wouldn't it? He was beautiful! Combined with Wilbert's dress, and Sans' laid back attitude online, he was flying with numbers. People started to recognize him on the streets of Paris, it was...</p><p>Fun. Really, really fun.</p><p>Sans loved to interact with people on his social medias. Some of them weren't very nice, but Sans knew how to annoy people out of existence. He had a lot of practice from Papyrus. Everyone seemed to love how calm and collected Sans tended to be. Of course, a lot of people tended to ask him out, but that was the downside, wasn't it?</p><p>Tilting the ketchup back, he carefully poured some onto his hotdog, making sure to avoid his shirt. Good thing he wasn't a messy eater like Amber, as all of his clothes were custom made from Wilbert. He already ruined one, no need to ruin more.</p><p>Sans never really did consider dating after he found himself inside of the human girl's body. It was a new life now, maybe he should try it out. Mal and Sammy certainly were happy, much like Abigail and Lucas.</p><p>The ballroom event was a one time occurrence, it seemed. Once Sans went out to walk out Wilbert's now designs, or went to more parties, he found they were quite fun. Wilbert was a blast to hang out with, seriously. He could turn anything happy and fun, it was rather inspiring. They often found themselves hanging out together during those events, as their personalities matched so well together that they bounced back and forth during conversation.</p><p>A sniffle sounded behind Sans, followed by shuffling. The previous skeleton turned to find none but Wilbert there, his hair slightly tangled, and a few stray tears falling from his eyes.</p><p>"Did you watch Up again?" Sans asked.</p><p>"I can never make it past the opening," Wilbert sniffed, rubbing his eyes slowly.</p><p>"C'mon over here, bud."</p><p>Shuffling picked up again as Wilbert sat down next to Sans. Stars sparkled across the night sky, distant candle flames from Sammy's room picking up against the dark hallway. Sans grabbed the extra hot dog on his plate and handed it to Wilbert, patting his shoulder.</p><p>"It's so sad," Wilbert sniffed again, "They were in love but she died and they never got to go onto their adventure-"</p><p>"Hey, hey, it's fine," Sans said, "It's just a movie."</p><p>"I know! But it's such a great movie, and I can never get past the opening without crying." Wilbert took a large bite of the hotdog, and continued to talk with it inside of his mouth. "It's super duper sad!"</p><p>Sans pushed some white hair over his shoulder. "Why don't you just skip the opening so you can enjoy the rest of the movie without crying."</p><p>"That won't do the movie justice! The opening is integral to the story, and it's an amazing opening! Very sad, though. I can't skip such a romantic and vital scene like that one!"</p><p>Sans nodded, glancing out the window. He really did love stars.</p><p>"You know..." He said quietly, setting down his hotdog. "I really like stars. They're beautiful, and amazing. I didn't get to see them much as a child, due to some restrictions, so I only ever could imagine them. I could only see them from pictures and movies, hoping one day I'd be able to experience them. I'd tend to watch a lot of movies with stars, just so I could dream about them."</p><p>"That makes sense," Wilbert said, smiling gently at the other. "You are like a quiet, snowy, star filled night. With none to witness your true beauty. When I talked about that, I wasn't talking about your looks, I was talking about your personality, about your soul. You are a beautiful person, inside and out, such like a snowflake under the moon."</p><p>Sans made a guttural sound of surprise as he turned, face turning colors from the compliments. "What I meant was that... what people like can sometimes tell a lot about them. Sammy likes dangerous witchcraft things because she likes thrill and excitement in her life. Amber likes to make clothes because she likes to express herself. And you... you like romance a lot, and you like to support others relationships and watch them on T.V."</p><p>"That's because relationships are adorable and precious! I love seeing people meet their true loves and bonding! I can't wait to meet Mal, she and Sammy sound perfect together." He hummed happily, taking another bite of his hotdog. "It's nice to see people settle down and find happiness."</p><p>"Wilbert, are you lonely?"</p><p>A pause. For once, Wilbert was quiet, and that alone gave Sans the answer to his question.</p><p>"Of course I'm not alone!" Wilbert said, smiling at him. "I have lots of friends, and I have my parents! I'm not lonely! But um... romantically, I guess. I just haven't found that click yet, I guess. That doesn't affect my love of romance movies, I love romance movies. Seriously, I <em>love </em>romance movies. Sometimes, I guess I don't like not having anyone to cuddle with."</p><p>That was something Sans understood. He, too, was a cuddler. Sometimes, it was hard to find someone that was gay and willing to cuddle with someone made entirely out of bones, as there wasn't anything soft or squishy about him.</p><p>"Hey, you might find someone," Sans said, "And I bet they'll be great."</p><p>"I'm sure they will," Wilbert said, smiling gently at the stars. "I'm willing to wait, I know they're out there somewhere. And I bet your perfect person is out there as well. Then we'll both meet them, and we can show up at each others parties... I expect to be making your wedding dress, Sans."</p><p>"Obviously! The great fashion designer Wilbert Palakiko will be making my dress, there's no alternatives," Sans said.</p><p>"Good, because I made Abigail's dress for her and Lucas' wedding, and it was amazing. Also, I will be crying at your wedding. I cried at theirs. I love weddings so much."</p><p>"I'll make sure to set out tissues. But in return, I expect there to be ketchup at your wedding when I come."</p><p>Wilbert moved to say something, but gasped. "You should be a part of the bridal shower! That'd be fantastic."</p><p>"And you could be my best man," Sans said, giving him finger guns.</p><p>"Deal!"</p><p>The two friends high fived, before moving back to eat their hot dogs in the silence of the night.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Ow.</p><p>His gut hurt.</p><p>Sans moved in his bed, feeling a familiar pain building within his body. He groggily moved, brushing his blanket aside to see-</p><p>No.</p><p>No no no!</p><p>He was on his period again!</p><p>Sans groaned, flopping back onto the bed. No! This wasn't fair! He just had it last month, why was it back? No!</p><p>"Sans, are you o-"</p><p>Mal paused once she saw his situation, almost breaking out into laughter. Sans glared at her, trying to make her stop. She didn't.</p><p>He pressed his forehead against the pillow, trying to peel himself up. Everything hurt. So darn much.</p><p>"This is my curse, isn't it? In exchange for me being alive, I have to suffer through this pain." Sans widened his eyes when he realized the bathroom was on the other side of the house. "Nooo..."</p><p>"What's going- do you have food poisoning?" Amber asked when she walked into the room.</p><p>"He's on his period." Mal gestured to him.</p><p>Her sister snorted. "Yikes."</p><p>"Put me down like a dog, end my suffering!" Sans groaned, rolling onto his back before another flash to pain barreled through his system.</p><p>"I heard puppy!" Wilbert said, peaking into the room. "Wait, what's going on? Are you okay Sans?"</p><p>"H- She's on her period," Amber explained.</p><p>"I am suffering," Sans muttered.</p><p>"Oh, you poor thing!" Wilbert said, "I don't know what they're like, but I can help! I'll be right back!"</p><p>In a flash, Wilbert was gone. Amber watched him leave, grinning as she pulled out her phone.</p><p>"I'll serenade you while he's gone with something I was going to show you." She sat down onto the edge of the bed, long hair waving slightly from her movements. "Chapter 1, Mal's Tentacles. Sammy gently opened her eyes to find her dark-"</p><p>"You found that?" Mal hissed, covering her face.</p><p>"If I wasn't in pain, I'd laugh my a*s off," Sans said.</p><p>"It's like you said," Amber grinned at her sister, "Sammy has terrible passwords. And I was curious, I have to read it."</p><p>"You're not 18 yet, you shouldn't be reading that kind of stuff!" Mal said.</p><p>"Do you really think the people who actually read these are over 18? I can guarantee most of them are not that age when they read these types of stories online, especially when two characters get busy. Sammy wasn't even 18 when she edited these, remember?"</p><p>"Send me a copy," Sans mumbled.</p><p>Shortly after their derailed conversation Wilbert came back with a bunch of items. He first propped Sans up onto his back, adding some extra pillows behind him. After that, he added a heater bag onto Sans' stomach, before finally setting down a large bowl filled to the brim with chocolate ice cream and ketchup into his hands.</p><p>"There we go!" Wilbert said, "Do you need anything else? I can bing pain killers, or some more ice cream."</p><p>"No, no, I'm- this is actually perfect, thank you," Sans said, gently holding the bowl against his chest. "Actually, I'ma need a pad."</p><p>"I'll get that, don't move, missie," Wilbert said, "My Mom used to get periods all the time, and my Dad taught me how to help girls with them. I got this, you beautiful polar bear!"</p><p>"Polar bear?" Mal whispered to herself, looking confused by the weird compliment.</p><p>"Which reminds me-"</p><p>Wilbert stopped in the doorway, turning around. Sans looked up from the ice cream towards his employer.</p><p>"-I was thinking maybe we could all... well, go to Hawaii, and you guys could meet my parents. I have a few ideas for pictures we could do. Once your periods over. Do you want to?"</p><p>Sans paused, then nodded. "Yeah, that sounds cool."</p><p>Wilbert snapped his fingers at Sans. "Then it's a deal."</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Chapter 31 - Wilbert's Parents</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sans took another bite of his shaved ice, leaning back in the backseat as soft music continued to play. Wilbert, having just given Amber hers, finally sat back in his own seat next to him. Mal sat in the seat next to Sans, watching Sammy start up the car again.</p><p>"Shaved ice tastes a lot like snow," Sans said, taking another bite.</p><p>He crossed his legs, the blue dress turning with his movement. During his period, Wilbert had been busy making Sans this dress. He even made the flower necklaces, which he explained were called lei, and gave everyone some to wear.</p><p>"It does," Amber agreed.</p><p>"I have a feeling you both have eaten snow," Sammy said, glancing at them.</p><p>"And you haven't?" Amber asked.</p><p>"It's a lot like snow, but with flavor," Wilbert said, "I used to eat this stuff all of the time."</p><p>"So you were born and raised in Hawaii?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Of course! My parents have lived here for years, they love warm weather. You guys are going to love them. Aw, I love my parents so much. They're fantastic," Wilbert said, "Too bad Lucas and Abigail couldn't come."</p><p>"Honeymoon," Sans said, "It's a fair reason not to, though."</p><p>"If I don't get married to someone in a full set of armor, there's no point," Amber said.</p><p>"Maybe you should get married at knight then, huh?" Sans asked.</p><p>"That was pretty priceless." Amber took a bite of her own food, half of it slipping onto the second bowl on her lap.</p><p>"I hate all of you," Sans said.</p><p>The next time Sans went onto his period, he would definitely have to keep Wilbert around. Wilbert was by far his best friend, well, his best friend that wasn't attached to his soul. Sorry Mal.</p><p>Mal shot him a face, and Sans returned it with his own smile. If anything, they all were his best friends. Wilbert was fantastic to be around, his overall positive attitude boosted Sans' up, not to mention how Amber was constantly excited to be working on fashion with good materials and an amazing teacher. Sammy was just having fun traveling around with Mal and her friends, really. They all were happy, everything was nice.</p><p>Oh, and Sans was going to meet Wilbert's parents. That was exciting.</p><p>Their house was large, and right on the beach as well, no doubt rather expensive. Then again, Wilbert did have a lot of money, no doubt he probably was helping pay for his parents.</p><p>Sammy pulled the car into the driveway and stepped out, her sunscreen covered hands flicking out a thick black umbrella to cast a shadow over her body. Sammy didn't like tans.</p><p>They were all wearing loose, breathable clothing, along with sandals or flip flops. Sammy was entirely barefoot, disinterested in wearing shoes while on her island adventure.</p><p>Sans wasn't sure what he had expected of Hawaii, having lived in Snowdin most of his life, but it was quite the opposite. The air was warm, and there always was a sense of the island life around. People seemed less interested in technology and more on physical activities, and everyone was quite friendly. No wonder someone like Wilbert came from here, everyone was pretty nice. Sans doubted everyone was nice, but there was always a few bad apples in every town.</p><p>Hopefully Wilbert's parents were not like Mal's.</p><p>"Wilbert, sweetie!" A voice yelled.</p><p>Sans turned to find a woman, tall and lean, standing in the second floor window. There was a toothbrush in her hand, some toothpaste bubbles on the corner of her mouth.</p><p>"Mom! Hi!" Wilbert practically squealed, waving up frantically at his Mother.</p><p>"Is that the Sans you were talking about? She's so adorable!" His Mom yelled, waving just as frantically as her son. "Hello!"</p><p>"Hi?" Sans said, slightly waving.</p><p>"You all, stay down there!"</p><p>Just as quickly as she appeared, she was gone back inside of the house. Wilbert smiled wildly, pressing his hands together as he waited.</p><p>"Oh boy," Sammy said, grinning herself.</p><p>There was barely a moment after the words escaped before a man was throwing open the front door, glancing around until he found Wilbert. There were a few grey hairs in his own dark brown hair, green eyes aged with time as he smiled at his child.</p><p>"Willy!" His Dad said.</p><p>"Dad!"</p><p>Wilbert and his Dad both ran halfway before they met in the middle, linking arms together in a bear hug. His Dad, who was strong in his build, picked up Wilbert and spun his around a few times before he set him back down.</p><p>"You've grown so much since we last saw you! Look at you!" He pulled back, analyzing his child. "But I still don't have grandkids. When are you going to get me some?"</p><p>"Dad!" Wilbert said, "I haven't found the right person yet!"</p><p>"You will, but I want to meet your new friends! I saw you got a new model- woah."</p><p>Sans offered the same little wave he gave Wilbert's Mom. "'Sup."</p><p>There were no words spoken as Wilbert's Dad walked over, before firmly placing his hands onto Sans' shoulders. "Can I adopt you?"</p><p>"What?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Dad!" Wilbert said, "You always say that to all of my models!"</p><p>"But look how precious she is!" He turned towards his son.</p><p>"Do you guys often experience volcano activity around here? Please say yes," Sammy said.</p><p>"I would like to adopt her as well," He said, looking at Sammy before he looked at Amber. "Can I adopt all of your friends?"</p><p>Yup, his Dad was about what Sans had expected. Loving to his family, friendly, wanted grandchildren. Made sense.</p><p>"No, Dad, as much as they're all great, you can't adopt any of them," Wilbert said.</p><p>"Aw, okay," He said, "But I made cookies, and hamburgers, hotdogs, and you said to buy a lot of ketchup before you guys arrived so we have an extra fridge full of it."</p><p>"Actually, can I be adopted by your Dad? He sounds great," Sans said to Wilbert.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Wilbert's parents were great. Seriously, Sans only met them that morning but he loved them to death.</p><p>They were fantastic! Not only were they extremely nice, like Wilbert, but they had prepared a bunch of food for their guests arrival. Wilbert likely had informed them of what they all liked, because there was food for everyone there.</p><p>"Puns are amazing!" Wilbert's Mother said, taking a bite of her salad. "I love them so much. Wilbert told me a few of yours, and sweetie, you are a pun mastermind."</p><p>"'Course, puns are pretty punny," Sans said, "I think they're puntastic."</p><p>"Oh my!" His Mother broke out into a fit of giggles.</p><p>Sammy and Amber had long since left the house. If Sans tilted his head back to look out of one of their large windows, he could see the three on the beach, no doubt playing in the sand. Sans and Wilbert stayed inside of the house, continuing to eat their food.</p><p>"Wilbert told us a lot about you, said you were his best, best, best friend!" Wilbert's Dad said.</p><p>"Wilbert is actually a great friend, I'd call him my best friend as well," Sans said.</p><p>They both shared a lot of similarities with Wilbert. They all looked rather Hawaiian, with thick, dark hair and darker skin tones. Wilbert looked more like his Mother, though, sharing her brown eyes and longer hair.</p><p>"I'm glad to meet someone who likes greasy food like myself," His Mother said, "Wilbert's Father is an excellent cook, he makes the best greasy food."</p><p>"Aw, thank you!" Wilbert's Dad said.</p><p>"I'm Sans' best friend, yes," Wilbert whispered to himself, pumping his fist.</p><p>"Maybe we could meet your parents one day?" Wilbert's Mom asked.</p><p>"Nah," Sans said, "I don't really got any."</p><p>Silence fell before Wilbert's Dad practically threw himself at Sans, engulfing him in a hug.</p><p>"You are officially our child now," He said.</p><p>"I-"</p><p>Before Sans could get out another word, Wilbert's Mother was hugging him from the other side.</p><p>"Shush, we'll be your parents now," She said.</p><p>"... Alright, I'm cool with this."</p><p>They both drew away, giving one last squeeze on his shoulder supportively. Wilbert had happily clapped before he glanced out at the sea, watching Amber and Sammy go swimming.</p><p>"Do you want to go swimming, Sans?" Wilbert asked.</p><p>"Uh... I don't actually know how."</p><p>As a skeleton, Sans couldn't swim. His bones were too dense, he had no air in his body, so he always just sunk to the bottom like a rock. It was impossible for him to swim. Now that it wasn't, it didn't change anything. He was still inexperienced, and if he threw himself into the water he'd probably drown.</p><p>Wilbert gasped and jumped up, gently grabbing Sans' arm. "I'll teach you! You're going to love it!"</p><p>Just like that, Sans was being dragged out of the house towards their pool, causing the once skeleton to giggle from the excitement Wilbert was practically shining from. His parents both watched happily.</p><p>"Sans is so adorable," His Mom hummed, "She was so close to being perfect for him."</p><p>"So close," His Father agreed.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Wilbert's parents were amazing, as expected. Sans actually didn't mind them claiming him as their child. He never really did have any parental figures in his life, and they were lovely people. If he ever did consider someone to be his parents, the closest would probably be them.</p><p>They were nice, so insanely nice and pleasant that it was amazing. They were such sweet people, and they obviously enjoyed Sans' presence. Wilbert probably talked a lot about his models to his parents.</p><p>Swimming was unusual, but Sans quickly got the hang of it. Wilbert was helpful, gently holding onto Sans' body has he led him through the water.</p><p>Wilbert sat on the edge of the pool, shaking water out of his hair. Sans glanced over, smiling gently. With the sunset ducking behind him, and the droplets caught onto his hair, Sans couldn't help but observe how nice Wilbert looked. Like a warm sunset, if he were to compare Wilbert to some of the poetry compliments he often made.</p><p>"I thought of this one all day for you." Wilbert sucked in a breath, turning towards his friend. "The ocean likes to wave at you!"</p><p>Then Sans glanced up, meeting the soft, sparkling smile, and it was all over.</p><p>Mal, who was on the beach, perked up. She could feel as Sans' soul pieced together the emotions, coming to one strong conclusion that neither him or her could deny.</p><p>Sans just fell in love, it seemed. </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Chapter 32 - A Confession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Are we going to talk about it or not?"</p><p>Water splashed against the side of the boat, building upwards along the edge as if trying to climb abord before settling back down again. White hair flowed in the wind, warm air ticking across Sans' paper skin.</p><p>"I figured we'd have to talk about it," Sans said.</p><p>Mal leaned against the railing, glancing out across the vast ocean. "Did you get much sleep?"</p><p>"You already know the answer."</p><p>Sleep itself was never to difficult for Sans. He loved to sleep. What was difficult was sleeping next to the man he realized he liked not even an hour prior. Wilbert's parents didn't have enough rooms, and for some reason they thought it'd be a great idea to room Wilbert and Sans together. Either they trusted Sans and Wilbert that much, or they really wanted to speed up the grandbaby train.</p><p>Once Sans got the idea of him and Wilbert dating, he couldn't get it out of his head. It was as if his mind was now only routed to think about the stupid crush he was harboring. Sans tried to avoid it the best he could, but Mal no doubt felt all of his emotions throughout the entire night.</p><p>"I love the ocean and the views. It's so pretty," Mal said, grabbing the railing and leaning back. "I always wanted to travel, ever since I was in middle school, and here I am. Traveling the world with my sister and girlfriend, not to mention my best friend."</p><p>"To think it only took dying," Sans joked.</p><p>"I guess plans can change a lot, don't they? I've always been good at adapting to them, working with the flow. Always being focused on the future does help with that."</p><p>Mal pulled herself forward, looking at the view in front of them. Unable to contain himself, Sans joined her, leaning against the railing.</p><p>"You think I should tell him the truth, don't you?" Sans asked.</p><p>"I think it's best to tell the truth. There's never any point in lying, it only causes problems down the road. And you like him, don't you?" Mal looked at him. "Don't you want to be with him?"</p><p>"I do, but... what if he doesn't like me back?"</p><p>"So? At least you would have gotten an answer, and you aren't even considering if he does possibly like you. That's not fair to you or himself to assume his feelings towards you. He might like you, he might not. But I wouldn't go assuming things without asking him. You see the way he talks to you, he obviously cares about you the most out of everyone. Give it a shot. If you ask and he says no, at least you can move on instead of staying stagnant."</p><p>Sans was about to respond, but the door to the boat behind him peeled open, none other but Wilbert stepping out. In his hands were two milkshakes, one of them heavily covered in ketchup. </p><p>"I'm going to go see what Amber's up to," Mal said, patting Sans' shoulder. "Good luck."</p><p>Just like that, she was gone. Wilbert didn't take notice, no doubt assuming Sans had been watching the sea alone as he approached.</p><p>"My Dad makes the best milkshakes, he even added your ketchup," Wilbert said, offering the food to Sans.</p><p>"Oh, thanks."</p><p>Sans accepted the beverage, twirling the straw as he watched the ketchup and chocolate combination swirl. And odd combination, but Sans always had odd taste buds. The more disgusting or greasy it was for other people, the more he'd probably like it.</p><p>"I'm glad you and the others came out to meet my parents," Wilbert said, "And to spend time with me in Hawaii. I love showing my friends everywhere I went to when I was a kid. There's this one place, in town, that makes the best butter mochi cakes you've ever seen. We could go try them later if you'd like."</p><p>"With you? Sure," Sans said.</p><p>"Yay! You're going to love them, trust me."</p><p>Should he? Should he tell him?</p><p>Sans could tell him now. Maybe Mal was right, and he should be honest, and spill the beans about his crush. Would that even be fair to Wilbert, forcing himself onto his employer? Then again, would it be fair to himself to keep his mouth shut?</p><p>Sans barely even noticed Wilbert's words, talking about his childhood along the ocean. Instead, he only heard his, ringing loudly across the empty deck.</p><p>"I like you."</p><p>Oh, he was going to regret this, wasn't he?</p><p>Wilbert's words fell silent from his own mouth before he glanced over at the other, hid milkshake now forgotten. "What?"</p><p>"I like you," Sans forced himself to repeat it, not meeting his eye contact.</p><p>"Like... like a friend?"</p><p>"No. More."</p><p>"Oh."</p><p>Wilbert turned back towards the sea, his short ponytail fluttering in harmony with Sans' hair. Gently, Sans took a sip of his own milkshake, his throat suddenly feeling dry as anxiety built within his chest.</p><p>"Do you... um, like me back?" Sans asked. "In that way?"</p><p>"I'm sorry, I... I don't."</p><p>Sans never wanted to throw himself overboard as much as he did at that exact moment.</p><p>"It's not you, I swear, it's me. I really do appreciate you as a friend, Sans. You're amazing, funny, witty and cute. I even told my parents about that. You're everything I look for in a date, yeah. I'm just... I'm romantically attracted to men."</p><p>Oh, so he was gay. That's good, so was Sans. And he said that he was looking for someone like Sans in a date, which meant-</p><p>Then Sans paused his thoughts, the rejection finally sinking into his soul. Yes, Sans was a man. But Wilbert <em>didn't know that</em>.</p><p>"Okay," Sans said, keeping his gaze focused on the water passing by Wilbert's boat.</p><p>"Don't think of yourself any less. If you were a guy, you'd be perfect. I messaged my parents a lot about it, actually. I really do like you, and you were almost amazing for me. I never found myself romantically attracted to women, though. I'm sorry. It's not you, I'm just gay. If you were a guy, like I said, I would have dated you."</p><p>"If only," Sans hummed, taking a sip of his drink.</p><p>"You're an amazing girl, and your soul shines like the sunset we're looking at. You're beautiful, and amazing, and in another time, where I was straight, or you were a guy, we could have dated. I'm sorry."</p><p>"No, no, it's fine. I get it," Sans said.</p><p>Sans was a guy. That meant Wilbert would have dated him. He just confirmed it, after all. Wilbert would date Sans if he knew he was a guy.</p><p>So why did it hurt so bad?</p><p>Sans took a step back, then another, his appetite having long been lost like his fleeting happiness. Instead, anxiety and rejection took hold, wringing out his soul like a wet clothe, merciless as it beat him from the inside out.</p><p>"Sans, I-"</p><p>"Nah, I get it, i-it's fine." Sans sucked in a shaking breath. "Oh, look, we're on shore now. I guess I should go get ready since we're heading back tonight."</p><p>"Sans-"</p><p>It was far too late, as Sans was hurriedly climbing off of the ship before it was fully stopped. The moment the deck was in view, Sans was hopping onto it, his milkshake clattering to the ground and no doubt staining the front of his dress before he was gone.</p><p>His soul hurt.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Things hadn't gotten any less awkward.</p><p>Mal had obviously felt Sans' sudden drop in mood, having chased him down into the room he had been staying in. She had entered, offering Sans a look of confusion before he shook his head. Wilbert rejected him.</p><p>That wasn't Wilbert's fault, he had a right to reject Sans. But Sans should know better. He was in fact a guy, a male, and Wilbert said he would have dated Sans if he was a guy. Sans should feel happy, but he didn't. The string of rejection carried on as Sans continued to pack his things, ready to simply leave that night.</p><p>Sans could turn to Wilbert and tell him the truth of his past. About how he was in fact a guy, and that he was actually a male skeleton. He had proof, yet...</p><p>Would that seem desperate? Dragging his past out of the closest just to prove he was in fact a man? If he did, would that change anything? Would Wilbert suddenly decide to go out with Sans? He still looked like a girl, would Wilbert be happy with that? Sans would forever be trapped as a woman, and if Wilbert did find out he was a guy, it might not change anything. Sans still looked like a girl, Wilbert wasn't looking for a girl.</p><p>The rest of the day, Wilbert tried to talk to his best friend, tried to fix their relationship, but it was already broken. Sans simply muttered out an excuse of helping Amber with something before he was escaping from the conversation. On the plane, Wilbert tried again, but Sans mumbled "I'm tired" before he twisted on the couch to go to sleep. Wilbert said nothing, but did lay a blanket across Sans.</p><p>That only made Sans feel worse.</p><p>Wilbert's parents were nice the rest of their stay, but Sans barely could look them in the eyes afterwards. He really did consider they could actually be his parents. What a fantasy, huh?</p><p>Being back in Paris felt better, at least. Sans couldn't very much escape Wilbert, he was his employer, they had to talk. Sans didn't want to quiet fashion, either, as he enjoyed being a model. But he didn't enjoy the crushing rejection he held everyday. The crush had just blossomed, and barely had a moment to breath before it was stomped back into the dirt. And instead of letting it properly fester with time apart from Wilbert, he couldn't get enough space, because he worked for him!</p><p>Sans clicked on his phone, stepping into the old elevator of the old Paris building. Wilbert had come here with Sans to talk to the magazine publishers, and Sans was hoping to make an escape to the car where Sammy and Lucas were so Wilbert wouldn't manage to talk to him about his crush.</p><p>Of course, luck was never on Sans' side, as Wilbert quickly appeared out of the meeting door and practically sprinted towards the elevator before the slow doors even managed to start closing. Sans sighed as the doors finally did slide shut with a groan, understanding his situation. Wilbert got him.</p><p>"Sans, we have to talk about this," Wilbert said. <br/><br/>"No, we don't." Sans frantically pressed the button on the old elevator, wishing that they would start their descend just a little faster. "Why are many of these buildings so old?"</p><p>"I miss my friend. I know I turned you down really hard, but... but please," Wilbert said, "Can I help at all? I'm here for you, and-"</p><p>"I just need to be alone to figure out my emotions, Wilbert," Sans said, pressing the button even more.</p><p>"But-"</p><p>A click. Then another.</p><p>Both males paused, glancing up at the ceiling. The elevator hadn't started going to the ground floor yet, like it was stuck. A clutter of mental sounds echoed around them, and the two managed to share one last horrified look-</p><p>Before the elevator was falling.</p><p>Sans barely managed to realize what he had just caused before they were plummeting, no doubt something having snapped in the old machine. They were falling.</p><p>And they were going to die.</p><p>Wilbert has grasped onto Sans as they both stumbled throughout the elevator, both of them falling to their deaths without anything to stop them. They tumbled to the side, lights blinking as the unbearable volume of metal scraping screeched around them. Sans felt his panic skyrocket as he was thrown to the side, the metal bar digging into his gut as his magic sparkled.</p><p>"Hold on!" Sans yelled, closing his glowing blue eyes as he tightened his grip around Wilbert.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Lucas absentmindedly clicked through the photos on his camera, adjusting his thick glasses as he watched them slide by.</p><p>A loud, screaming collision of sparkling metal filled the air as Lucas threw his head up, watching in horror as the elevator doors started to shake. Suddenly, Wilbert and Sans were falling onto the ground in front of them, Wilbert's back thudding against the floor with his arms wrapped firmly around Sans. Sans pressed herself up against his chest, turning her head and sticking out her hand as a wall of bones erupted up against the elevator doors.</p><p>The crash was deafening.</p><p>Loud, crushing metal colliding against one another, as if a car crash happened within the confines of the small building. The doors to the elevator ripped outwards as the ground floor shook, smoke bellowing out. More pieces of metal and cables ripped out past the doors, but the wall of bones contained the debris, effectively protecting Sans and Wilbert as dust powder from the crash filled the room. Finally did the room settle, falling silent with nothing but the breathing of three shaken people to fill the now silent void. </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Chapter 33 - Another Confession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If it was awkward before, it didn't even compare to now.</p><p>Authorities had been called, and the elevator had been analyzed for the cause. The machinery had been old, as a lot of Paris buildings were rather old, and the spamming of a button had ultimately caused it to malfunction and for the cables to snap. And, of course, the elevator had fell to the bottom and was obliterated. If Wilbert and Sans had been in there, they would have no doubt died.</p><p>Thankfully, cameras were nonexistent within their building, so Sans was able to craft up a quick excuse. They had gone down the elevator, and it had been sent back up to the top floor, but he thought he had left someone upstairs and spammed the button because he didn't want it to get stolen. Ultimately no one was hurt, and the reason for the failure was easily found, so everyone chalked it up to an unfortunate accident that no one was thankfully hurt from.</p><p>Wilbert was obviously confused, as he probably was not expecting that. The entire car ride he would pause, turning back towards the building they had driven away from, and stutter out a few confused words before he would ultimately fall silent again. It was all pretty sudden, Sans could understand his confusion.</p><p>"Here, sit down for a moment."</p><p>Wilbert didn't object, but sitting down onto his couch did snap him out of his confusion. He blinked once, then twice, and finally looked up at Sans.</p><p>"<em>How</em>?" Wilbert asked.</p><p>"Trust me, buddy, it's a long story." Amber crossed her feet on her seat. "How much did you break Wilbert though, Sans?"</p><p>"The elevator, um, crashed," Lucas said, "Then Sans and Wilbert just... appeared in front of me."</p><p>"Sans told the investigators they were already out of the elevator, but I don't think that's true," Sammy said, "Sans, I think it'd be cool if you told all of us what happened."</p><p>"Do I have to?" Lucas asked, almost whining.</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>Defeated, Lucas sat down.</p><p>"So, um, you two are the only two in here who don't know, but... okay, I'm not sure how to put this. My real name is Sans, but I'm not exactly... the Sans you know. As in, this isn't my body."</p><p>"What?" They both voiced, sounding just as lost as each other.</p><p>Sans ran a hand through his silk hair, taking a small glance at Mal. "When we talk about Mal, Amber's sister, we aren't talking about her calling us. She's not in school, like we told you guys. This body, the one I'm in, was hers."</p><p>"I'm- I'm sorry, I'm confused," Wilbert said, "What do you mean it's hers?"</p><p>"Sans yoinked my sisters body," Amber said.</p><p>"Pretty much," Sans said, "About half of a year ago, a little more, I had been on my way home. It was late, and it was in a crowded city, so when I heard something I called the Police. They told me to go check it out, and I found Mal's body. She was stabbed to death several times, she had been mugged and the attacker panicked when she tried to fight back."</p><p>"Oh no," Wilbert said, covering his mouth. "You said you're in her body. Is she-"</p><p>"She's technically dead, yeah, but so am I," Sans explained, "I was stabbed from behind, apparently the guy had come back to hide the body with his truck. After that, I woke up in the hospital, but in Mal's body. I think it's because of the timing of our deaths in combination with our souls. She's a ghost that follows me around now. Hi Mal."</p><p>"Hi Sans," Mal said.</p><p>"You guys can't see her, but I've dabbled with spiritual things, so I can help you guys see her later," Sammy explained.</p><p>Wilbert cupped his cheek and leaned against his hand, processing what he was being told. "So you're dead, Sans?"</p><p>"Nah. I'm alive, Mal and I survived because of each other. Our souls are merged together now, and we can't get them apart. I think if I ever find a way to unmerge our souls, we'd return back to normal. She's alive as well, but since I took her body... she kind of doesn't have any physical form anymore. That's my bad."</p><p>Amber chuckled at his joke. "I found out because he and Mal are practically opposites."</p><p>"He?" Lucas asked.</p><p>Wilbert's hand slowly fell down, and he stared at Sans, connecting the pieces. "You're..."</p><p>"My real full name is Comic Sans Font. I was a skeleton monster before I died, and I kinda was a guy. I did some stand up and I worked as a sentry. I'm gay, so I'm into guys. I'm just trapped in a girls body." Sans shot finger guns at the fashion designer. "So, now that you know I'm a dude, how about a date?"</p><p>"When I turned you down for being a girl... oh, oh no! Sans I'm so sorry!" Wilbert said.</p><p>"It's fine. I should'a told you both sooner. Lucas had actually seen me use my monster magic before," Sans said, "And that's how I sorta saved our lives. As a monster, I have magic, even while I'm a human."</p><p>"I heard monsters have magic, but I've never really gotten the chance to watch it in real life. You... thanks, for saving me, you beautiful ice cream sundae." Wilbert smiled at Sans. "And if I had known you were a guy, I would have said yes. I'd love to go on a date with you."</p><p>Sans covered his mouth and blushed, averting his eyes. "Um... that's not the point of this conversation. But... later?"</p><p>"Is there anything else we need to know before I accidentally walk in on you drinking someones blood or something?" Lucas asked.</p><p>"He's not a vampire," Amber snorted.</p><p>"Shut up."</p><p>"No, that's all we know. Sans still has the same personality, he's just a he. Now I'm going to go start the ritual with Lucas. Let's go!"</p><p>Lucas was dragged out of the room by Sammy, who was happily talking to Mal about how she could be included in their usual activities. That left the remaining three inside of the living room, Wilbert still coming to terms with everything he's been told.</p><p>"His head looks like it's going to explode," Amber said, "He's taking it about as well as I did."</p><p>"I think Wilbert might'a been a little startled from the incident, though."</p><p>"No, I feel terrible! Sans was a guy this entire time and I've been- oh, Sans was a guy this entire time."</p><p>It was as if everything finally fell into place, as Wilbert realized Sans had been a potential love interest far longer than he expected. He covered his face as a blush blossomed across his cheeks. </p><p>"I'm going to go get a snack, you two have fun."</p><p>Just like that, Amber was gone, leaving the two gay men sitting in the room in silence.</p><p>"Didya mean it?" Sans asked.</p><p>"What?" Wilbert questioned.</p><p>"Didya mean the... that you'd date me?" Sans tilted his head to the side. "I um... what you said a minute ago."</p><p>"Yeah. I'm romantically attracted to guys, so... if you're really a guy, then..."</p><p>"So... are we dating?"</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>Sans nodded, unable to contain his wide grin. "Cool. I'm guessing you wanna see a pic of my old self?"</p><p>"You have one on you?" Wilbert asked.</p><p>"Nah, but c'mon, I know where to find one."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>There was something satisfying about looking over and seeing Wilbert, only to recognize that they were now dating. <em>Dating</em>. Sans was dating Wilbert!</p><p>He clicked enter on his monsternet profile, watching his status light up green alongside of his friends. Wilbert leaned forward in his seat, one of his hands grazing past Sans'. Sans reached over, and their fingers linked together. This was really nice.</p><p>"Monsternet is what monsters used Underground, before we were released to the surface. Some of us made other accounts for the human networks, but we mainly stayed on monsternet. It's monitored a lot and our King posts a lot of updates about monsters and laws and stuff on there, so it's a good connection."</p><p>Sans clicked on his profile, turning the computer screen for Wilbert to better see. There were a few pictures of himself on there, but most of them were memes he made and posted. He found a good picture of himself and brought it up full screen, displaying it for his new boyfriend-</p><p>Oh, boyfriend. Yeah. He really, really liked that.</p><p>"So this was what I used... to..."</p><p>Sans trailed off when he looked over at Wilbert, because the fashion designer was a blushing mess. He turned to Sans, before practically tackling him into a hug.</p><p>"You were so adorable!" Wilbert yelled, kicking out his legs from excitement.</p><p>"Wait hold-"</p><p>Due to his tackle hug, the two of them were leaning too much on one side, effectively causing Sans to tumble over and for Wilbert to follow onto the ground. They both fell, Sans snorting as Wilbert burst out giggling.</p><p>"You were so adorable, oh my gosh. And you still are, but... I think I like your skeleton side better."</p><p>"I do too," Sans said, patting Wilbert's head. "I'm glad we're all on the same page, and that I can say a skele-ton of puns now." He blinked a few times, giddily smiling. "I've been holding them back, and now that you know, I'm letting loose. You cannot escape them."</p><p>"Aw, I wouldn't want to anyway. I like your puns."</p><p>"I gotta mention, though. Since I'm a skeleton, or I was one, I'm not really sexually... well, you know, interested. Are you cool with that?"</p><p>"I'm asexual. So I'm pretty cool with that."</p><p>"Oh, that's great."</p><p>"But I like cuddling. You will be cuddling with me."</p><p>"Yeah, that's cool."</p><p>Sans couldn't contain his large smile. He had a boyfriend, he had friends. They all knew everything. He had a good career.</p><p>His eyes drifted back to the screen. In the picture he could see Papyrus in the background, one of his several noodle pots on fire, a panicked and hilarious expression spread across his face.</p><p>Nah, he wasn't going to think about that now. Instead, Sans wrapped his arm around his boyfriend, throwing the other against his forehead. This was nice. </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Chapter 34 - Bayla</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I need a babysitter."</p><p>It had been such a simple request, hadn't it? Except for a few, minor problems.</p><p>First off, Sans was alone. Wilbert was asleep (he had stayed up all night watching Wall-E again), and Amber was hanging out with Sammy and Mal. Apparently, for Lucas and Abigail, it was date night, and they wanted Sans to watch their daughter. That was all said and done, Sans didn't mind.</p><p>But he didn't know how to. Skeletons were far much easier to care for then humans, and Sans still didn't understand all of their needs. But before he could object, there was a child being shoved into his arms, and they were out of the door in a flash.</p><p>So what now?</p><p>Bayla was here name, and she had long ginger hair just like Lucas, but shared her Mother's firm blue eyes. She looked to be about seven or eight years old.</p><p>So now Sans was babysitting, apparently.</p><p>Bayla was crouched down next to Sans as he pulled out Wilbert's special box from under his bed, the fashion designer twisting on his bed, but otherwise remained ignorant.</p><p>"Which cartoon movie do you want to watch?" Sans asked.</p><p>Bayla blinked, pawing at her dirt stained pants. "I wanna go outside!"</p><p>"Um, I don't really know the town that well, so I'd probably get lost." Sans glanced towards the window. "And I'm kind of famous, I'd probably get so crowded I wouldn't be able to watch ya, kid."</p><p>"Hm... Wall-E, I guess." Bayla sighed in her disappointment.</p><p>Almost as if summoned by the words, Wilbert suddenly was sitting up on his bed, blinking sleepily.</p><p>"Good morning," Sans said.</p><p>"Cuddles," Wilbert hummed quietly, outstretching his arms for Sans.</p><p>"Sorry bud, I'm a bit busy." Sans pointed to Bayla.</p><p>Wilbert blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes. "Bayla! Hi!"</p><p>"Hi Mr. Willy!" Bayla said, waving. "I wanna go outside!"</p><p>"Hm? Alright, I'm sure we can get Sammy to..." Wilbert paused for a yawn, "Um, drive."</p><p>"She's out with Amber and Mal."</p><p>"Oh? Then I'll drive us... hm..."</p><p>Sans gently pushed Wilbert back against the bed. "How about you properly wake yourself up while I go make some coffee, and Bayla can tell me some of the places she wants to go."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Once Wilbert was finally awake, a fact Sans was very grateful for, Sans gave him some coffee and they talked about what Bayla wanted to do. Apparently Wilbert was her second babysitter whenever her parents were busy, as he always wanted to have children and loved taking care of them.</p><p>Sans liked kids as well. He did practically raise Papyrus, so of course he liked them. And skeletons reproduced by souls, so if he and Mal managed to separate, he and Wilbert could produce a biologically related child.</p><p>But he wouldn't think about that right now.</p><p>Instead, Sans turned to watch Wilbert buy some food from a stand at the park. Wilbert apparently woar disguises out whenever he took Bayla out to play, so he was wearing a funny looking wig with baggy pants and sunglasses. It was hilarious to look at, but adorable, so Sans continued to gaze at his handsome boyfriend from the bench he was sitting on.</p><p>Wilbert was adorable. Holy crap, he was so precious.</p><p>"Here."</p><p>Wilbert settled back down next to his boyfriend, planting a kiss on his cheek as he handed Sans the treat he just purchased. Sans giggled, leaning against him as he watched Bayla pet someone's dog down the hill.</p><p>"Thanks for the snack," Sans said, "Are you ever going to tell me what you worked on last night?"</p><p>"W-What do you mean?" Wilbert lied, avoiding Sans' eyes.</p><p>"I heard you buying fabric over the phone last night, you're working on new clothes. When am I going to wear them?"</p><p>"It's a surprise, I wanna show you them when they're done!" Wilbert said, "No peaking until it's done."</p><p>"Alright, you're the boss." Sans leaned against Wilbert. "So you and Bayla, huh?"</p><p>"She's adorable. I love Lucas and Abigail, so taking care of their little girl is always open! And... if you'd like to have children one day, I'd like that."</p><p>"I'd also like that."</p><p>Sans linked his hand with Wilbert, squeezing his fingers.</p><p>"Oh, I forgot to mention something I saw about the monsters," Wilbert said, "Apparently there's a monster relief program, or something. Basically it's a group of monsters that advocates for monster violence from humans. I heard about it from the newspaper people."</p><p>"Really? We never had that when I was alive," Sans said, tilting his head back to look at the cloudy sky. "At least Asgore's putting together something, finally."</p><p>"Hey!" A random voice yelled, pointing to Sans. "Aren't you that hot model?"</p><p>"Time to go!" Wilbert giggled, standing up. </p>
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<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Chapter 35 - New Clothes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soft, dark hands pressed against Sans' eyes as he was gently walked forward. He treaded carefully, ears looking for any signs of an Amber prank. To be fair, he would do the same.</p><p>"Okay, stop!"</p><p>Sans followed Wilbert's words. Finally he was showing him the new clothes that he had been preparing for sometime now. They didn't take very long, likely because they were simple, but Wilbert still had to ensure it was perfect before showing Sans.</p><p>"Are you ready to see the newest fashion trend?" Wilbert asked.</p><p>"Sure thing, buddy, lay it on me," Sans said.</p><p>The hands that were pressed against his eyes parted, and Sans found himself staring at...</p><p>Oh.</p><p>"I um, well, after you told me you were a monster I realized my fashion has expanded to every culture but monsters," Wilbert said, "So I wanted to start becoming more involved with monsters. I even donated some money to the monster relief program."</p><p>Sans was staring at his old clothes.</p><p>Granted, these were better. The white shirt was soft, silky, and no doubt made from the finest of fabric. His blue hoodie was more fluffy on the inside, with a thicker hood to better hide his features. The old basketball shorts were longer, but still held the same look.</p><p>It was his old clothes. The ones he wore constantly. His favorite hoodie, his favorite shorts. In front of him.</p><p>"Do you like them? They are a little different from the ones you wore, but the fabric is more tough, so these will last much longer, and they'll be more comfortable than your old clothes." Wilbert squeezed his shoulders. "I saw you wore these a lot so I thought..."</p><p>Sans sniffed, pressing a hand against his mouth. "They're g-great."</p><p>"Oh no!" Wilbert quickly hugged Sans, trying to block out his view of the outfit. "I didn't mean to make you cry! I'll throw them away right now I-"</p><p>"No, no, these are good tears," Sans said, sniffing again. "Happy tears. I like it, I really do."</p><p>"Oh, thank god." Wilbert sighed with relief, resting his head onto Sans' shoulders. "I just wanted to give you a nice surprise."</p><p>"I really like it, seriously," Sans said, "Can I try it on?"</p><p>"Of course!" Wilbert said.</p><p>The clothes felt all the same, but had a different sense to them. Refreshed, revived, just like he had been. Sans pulled at the basketball shorts, letting his hair fall naturally down. It was nice.</p><p>Wilbert soon brought in Lucas to do some pictures, as usual, before Sans realized that the pictures were going to be of him. In his old clothes. With his old name.</p><p>It was far enough before, as there weren't too many similarities between new Sans and old Sans that none of his old monster friends could connect him. Sans, as a girl, didn't share too many features with Sans. Looking at the two, you wouldn't connect them together. Even his social medias, while having a large following, were mostly focused on his fashion. His jokes and puns, while the same, were being shown to humans. Monsters didn't use human social media.</p><p>But if he were to post his face and name around, while wearing his old clothes? Yeah, that'd be a little too close.</p><p>"I'm not exactly on good terms with my old friends and family, so... if they saw me wearing this, they might kinda... connect things together," Sans said, pulling at the hoodie strings. "It wouldn't be a problem wearing them around here, since they're in America and we're in Paris, but I don't wanna broadcast the picture around. I know they wouldn't be able to fly out here, since that's kinda expensive, but they might make accounts and start to ask me questions."</p><p>"Oh, that's fine! I'll only have it premier in Paris, so it'll be Paris exclusive. We don't have to post this online if you don't want to," Wilbert said, pressing his hands together. "Are you okay with that?"</p><p>"That'll work, yeah," Sans breathed.</p><p>As long as it didn't spread out, it'd be fine. Sans knew Papyrus and the others didn't have money to travel, so if it stayed within Paris, this would be good.</p><p>"Or you could present it at the fashion festival," Lucas whispered to Wilbert.</p><p>Wilbert suddenly perked up with the words, his brown eyes sparkling with the suggestion. "That's a great idea?"</p><p>"The what?" Sans asked.</p><p>"The fashion festival!" Wilbert said, "I was going to make another dress for you, but this would be perfect. Simple, but cute! Affordable for everyone and easy to replicate. We could use that to display Sans as a model as well, since his personality is all about being easy going."</p><p>"That'd actually be a good idea," Lucas said, "Since Sans looks... how he looks, he really does pull it off. It'd definitely work."</p><p>"What's the fashion festival?" Sans asked.</p><p>"It's this event we hold right under the eiffel tower, where a lot of fashion designers show their designs and such. The best part about it is that it's open to the public, it's where I interact with my most friends. But this time I will be keeping an eye on you and Amber," Wilbert said, "And Sammy should be prepared to drive away at any given moment."</p><p>"So we're basically going to be throwing ourselves into a pit of fans? Like the one that broke through your window?" Sans jerked him thumb over his shoulder towards the window in question.</p><p>"No, there's going to be security, don't worry. They get to see us walk up the red carpet, and they watch from outside, we just interact with them after the event," Wilbert said, "Only higher up people can get inside. Like famous fashion designers, or some famous models. Sometimes charities and organizations will show up, and a few times we've had some actors show up."</p><p>"Oh, whew. Good," Sans said, "When is it?"</p><p>The two fell silent. "When is it?" Wilbert whispered to Lucas.</p><p>"Um... in a week."</p><p>"A WEEK?"</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Apparently they hadn't been prepared enough.</p><p>After realizing the next large event had been a month closer than Wilbert had expected, they had to practically scramble around to get everything done in time. Thankfully the clothes were already done, but that didn't excuse everything else that had to be prepared. Sammy needed some clothes, Amber didn't have her own prepared, Wilbert and Lucas were still trying to get to know Mal, and they only had a week to get everything done.</p><p>Somehow, though, progress was made. Wilbert helped Amber finish her dress, and managed to find the time to make a nice looking suit for Sammy, even though she wouldn't be going inside.</p><p>Just like that, the time passed. And Sans was stepping out of a limo once again.</p><p>His arms tightened around Wilbert's, giving a large wave to the people as he walked down the red carpet. He would have held his hand, but they didn't want to expose their relationship for the public. Not now, anyway.</p><p>"Dodododdodo," Amber hummed behind them, giving her own waves with a massive grin.</p><p>This was good.</p><p>As Sans stood next to Wilbert for a picture from Lucas, everything felt perfect. He had an amazing boyfriend, good friends, an amazing career. Not to mention he was surrounded by so many famous people as well. Fashion designers, models, actors, Papyrus, movie-</p><p>Wait, Papyrus?</p><p>Sans jerked his head back to find that indeed, Papyrus was there. Papyrus. Skeleton and all. Standing next to Undyne, shaking hands with a human and talking about things.</p><p>Oh.</p><p>Oh no.</p>
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<a name="section0039"><h2>39. Chapter 36 - Fashion Disaster</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hey Wilbert..." Sans whispered, "We have a situation..."</p><p>"Hm?" Wilbert asked.</p><p>He followed Sans' gaze, his grip on Sans' arm lightening. "Oh! Those are probably the monsters in charge of the monster relief program. They probably came here for the event."</p><p>Sans didn't get it. He knew how much money Papyrus had, there was no way his brother would be able to afford a ticket to Paris, much less have enough money to start a monster relief program. So how did he...</p><p>Only then did it connect with Sans, the skeleton monster wanting to smack his face with enough brute force to knock him out if possible. Before, Papyrus would have never been able to afford to fly to Paris, much less afford staying here.</p><p>Unless someone dropped a fat box full of money onto his front porch.</p><p>There was more than enough money in the box to fund a restaurant, and there would be plenty leftover. If the restaurant took off, which would make sense as Papyrus was a people person, he'd have plenty enough funds to start something else. Like a monster relief program about monster cruelty, especially after his brother was stabbed to death by a human.</p><p>There was no one to blame but Sans, really. He practically funded Papyrus' flight, and now Papyrus was here. Why was he in Paris? Why would he fly all of the way out here just for some fashion event?</p><p>"So you know how I was a skeleton, and um..." Sans said, pointing to Papyrus again, "I said I wasn't on very good terms with my brother..."</p><p>It didn't take long for Wilbert to connect it either, smile falling when he realized exactly what Sans meant. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry! We can leave now if-"</p><p>Except for Wilbert pressed a hand against his mouth, looking down at the floor. Lucas, confused, approached the two.</p><p>"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.</p><p>"My brother and my old friend are here," Sans mumbled, lightly pointing to them.</p><p>Papyrus and Undyne went to greet someone else, talking lightly about their organization. Okay, good, they didn't know that Sans was there. Whew.</p><p>"Are they going to be staying for the slideshow?" Lucas whispered.</p><p>"The what?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Um, there's a slideshow that all of the fashion designers input designs to," Wilbert said, awkwardly leaning his head onto his hands as he spoke quietly. "And it's played for everyone to watch. And I input a picture of you and your clothes, Sans."</p><p>Sans blinked. "What."</p><p>"That means if they don't notice you in person, they're going to notice the very big and obvious picture with your name on it, you know, that we're showing everyone," Wilbert said, "Oh no."</p><p>"I think they might notice him wearing... well, that not too far from them," Lucas said, gesturing to Sans' clothes.</p><p>"Ah crap," Sans said.</p><p>"Here." Wilbert grabbed Sans' shoulders, swiftly turning him from view of the two monsters. "I have an extra dress in the back of my car that Sans can change into while I tell Mal and Sammy what's going on. Can you find Amber and tell her the situation?"</p><p>"Uh, sure," Lucas said, "Should I try to avoid the monsters?"</p><p>"Yes, please," Sans said, "Whatever you do, don't say my name near them."</p><p>"Okay." Lucas gave a firm nod before he staggered off to go find Amber.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Mal's green eyes were lidded as she leaned forward, the lights of Paris sparkling across her ghostly body. Her hand rested on Sammy's, hovering the best it could to pretend the two lovers could touch each other.</p><p>"You look so pretty," Sammy giggled.</p><p>"So do you, missie," Mal said, chuckling. "If I could touch you I'd be kissing you."</p><p>"Oh, I forgot to tell you-" Sammy fished through her purse, "-About this new set of candles my parents saw online. They're really good for some spiritual rituals, and I could even try that one to strengthen your soul and connection to our world. It wouldn't get your body back, but maybe you could be able to touch things. Like I dunno... me."</p><p>"That sounds good," Mal said, "So we could hold hands and cuddle, and I could probably... reenact some of those fanfictions you edited."</p><p>Sammy laughed. "Not the tentacule one?"</p><p>Mal snorted. "Not the tentacule one," She confirmed.</p><p>The car door was suddenly being slammed open before Sans was grabbing Wilbert's bag from the back, practically ripping it open to search the contents. <br/><br/>"You looking for something priceless?" Mal asked, smiling.</p><p>The look Sans gave the two dropped their easygoing smiles immediately. Wide eyed, desperate, a look of panic spread across his face. He managed to pull out the backup outfit Wilbert had bought in case Sans burnt his dress again, then hurried away to change before either of them could inquire what happened.</p><p>Wilbert suddenly stuck his head in the open window of the limo, the same look that plagued his boyfriend tainting his own face. "Hey there, um, so Sans' old friends are kind of here," Wilbert said, laughing awkwardly. "And you told me what they did, but they're here."</p><p>"They're- oh, crap," Sammy said.</p><p>"What do you need us to do?" Mal asked.</p><p>"Sans is getting changed now, but we have to find a way to get his picture from the slideshow before they see," Wilbert said, "Sammy, you'll need to stay here in case we have to run again. And Mal, can you go with Sans while he gets changed so he can explain the situation?"</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Chatter lightly filled the air as Amber pulled out her pack of gum, shielding it from view as she slide out a piece. School has properly trained her to always hide her gum, even at a fashion event with adults. Better be safe than sorry.</p><p>"Hey, kid," A female said.</p><p>Amber turned to find a female fish monster standing there, one hand on her hip with the other pointing behind Amber. "Do you mind moving so I can grab a drink?"</p><p>"Oh, sorry," Amber said, moving to the side.</p><p>Naturally she had resonated towards the food table, the young female eyeing her food selection. She didn't want to grab anything yet, since it was only the beginning of the event, and once she started eating she wouldn't stop. Food was delicious and precious and she had to savor it.</p><p>Amber never really understood why Mal only ate certain things. Other then grape soda, Mal always kept herself on a strict, healthy diet. Why? What was the point if she never was going to enjoy the food she ate? Amber asked that once, and apparently Mal liked healthy food. Disgusting.</p><p>"By the way, awesome dress," The fish monster said, sharp nails digging into her own cup. "I like how it's made from a bunch of different materials."</p><p>"Oh, thank you. I made it myself," Amber gushed, patting her outfit. "I like the look of more 'downgraded' dresses. I'm not into sparkles or price, that's more my Mom's thing, so I guess that's why I've never been into it. Dresses have to have something to say, and when you make a dress more defined it speaks more to me."</p><p>"I hear you, Moms can sometimes suck," Undyne chuckled, "You should see my girlfriends Mom, she's awful."</p><p>"She'd love my Mom," Amber said, "She always bought these super expensive, sparkly stuff because she likes to show off. Does not go well on the bank account."</p><p>"My Dad used to do that, now he sells his old junk to try and clear out his garage," Undyne said, grinning. "Name's Undyne, by the way."</p><p>"Amber. I like making clothes, that's why I'm here. You?"</p><p>"A friend of mine got attacked and stabbed to death, and we believe he mighta been attacked just because he was a monster," Undyne said, taking a sup from her cup. "So we started this monster program for equality. That's why we're at this event, trying to get some awareness and donations."</p><p>Huh. That sounded a bit like how Sans died.</p><p>"So you came all the way out to Paris just for this event? I mean, it's pretty big, but it's more for reveals and meeting fans, not really a great idea to get yourself 'out there' for your charity," Amber said, motioning her arms.</p><p>"Yeah, that's not why we flew all the way out here. Um... yeah, kid, this is going to sound weird, but it's for my friend to help him. Have you heard anyone mention or see a skeleton named Sans?"</p><p>Amber almost dropped her cup.</p><p>"Nah," She said, letting her lie run smoothly off of her tongue. "Don't know anyone with that name. You're the first monster I've seen here, so he's probably not around here. Sorry."</p><p>Thank the lord for her parents teaching her how to be such a good liar. They didn't do it directly, but her ability to come up with fantastic lies was how controlling and invasive they were in her life. The only good outcome from her childhood was her unmatched ability for quick words and effective lies.</p><p>Didn't Sans say they threw away his body, or something like that? Why were these monsters here? How did they know Sans was in town?</p><p>"Why are you looking for him? Is this guy a escaped killer or something?" Amber asked.</p><p>"Nothing like that, it's just something personal, that's all," Undyne said, "Let's say... he's been missing for awhile, and we saw him go online recently on his Monsternet and his location was somewhere in this city. Don't feel bad about it, I wasn't expecting any sorts of 'yes' from anybody."</p><p>Go online? Sans had even decided to show Amber and everyone else what he looked like after he showed Wilbert, and he had logged into his Monsternet account to show them. Now that she recalled it...</p><p>She could see the green icon next to Sans' name at the top right.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>
  <em>Undyne pressed a hand against her chin, scrolling through her feed with a bored scowl. Ever since Sans died, everyone's been making time for Papyrus, and they often hung out at his house so he wouldn't feel alone. She didn't mind that, he was still grieving, it was fine. What she did mind was that he was busy doing boring chores and she had nothing to do!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Undyne clicked on her profile, filled with images of things she's done. Maybe they could make spaghetti again. That'd be a good idea to help cheer him up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her yellow eyes scanned down her friend list, seeing who was online. She could simply look up and tell, as everyone else was on their phones, but none of them seemed to be on Monsternet directly. Alphys was thrown over a chair, clicking away on a game. Toriel was in the kitchen with Papyrus, wiping the counters. The house was silent, the occasional chatter from Toriel being brought up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Eh. Undyne looked down again, until a greendot caught her eye. Someone was online. But it...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Um, guys, this is going to sound real weird..." Undyne reloaded her page again, but the dot didn't move. "But Sans is online."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What?" Papyrus jerked up at hearing his deceased brothers name.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I- Seriously, I'm not joking," Undyne said, straightening in her seat. "It says he's online."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, I-I'm looking at it as well," Alphys stuttered, pulling up her own page. "His profile is g-green."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Papyrus dropped the broom he was holding, the forgotten object clattering to the ground as he hurried over. Toriel followed suit, the two peering down at Undyne's phone.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Did someone get access to his account? No, his account only ever was on his phone, and that had been taken as evidence before it was disposed of with his clothes. Someone could have hacked it, but that was pretty hard to do. The Monsternet had solid firewalls to prevent hackers from getting into accounts.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What if it's Sans?" Papyrus asked, hopefully. "What if he somehow-"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How, Papyrus? How would Sans do this?" Undyne asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I... I don't know, but there's hope, isn't there?" Papyrus asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Undyne shook her head, looking down at the screen with a sigh. No, there wasn't. They all knew he was dead, Papyrus was just having a hard time coping. He didn't want to accept the truth.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I believe someone managed to hack into his account, Papyrus," Toriel said, resting a hand onto his shoulder. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, dear."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>By far, Toriel had been the best helping Papyrus with his grief, likely using experience from her own to help Papyrus. Even with her help, though, Papyrus was still struggling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Here, I-I tracked the general l-location," Alphys said, "It says they're in Paris, near the eiffel tower."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Paris?" Toriel asked, "Isn't that quite far?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I-I don't get why someone i-is logging into Sans' account from Paris," Alphys said, "They aren't doing anything on it, I d-don't understand."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It could be Sans! Maybe... I just... I miss him," Papyrus mumbled, clutching his scarf softly as tears started to collect in his eye sockets, "I can't..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hey, hey, it's alright!" Undyne said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Why don't we fly down there?" Toriel offered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What?" Undyne asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Paris is well known for having fashion trends, and that means fashion designers and models that would likely want to participate in charity," Toriel said, "And it would let us get some closure on who would hack into Sans' account, no?"</em>
</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Undyne knew this trip was only for Papyrus, to show him that his brother wasn't going to come back to life magically. He was gone, Papyrus had to move on. She was only asking around for Papyrus' sake, she doubted she ever was going to get a yes for her question. Once they figured out who hacked into Sans' account, and why, they'd head back. At least they were getting more exposure for Papyrus' charity.</p><p>"Um, Amber," Lucas said, lightly poking the girls shoulders. "Can we... uh, talk?"</p><p>Amber looked at him, confused. Why did he look so worried?</p><p>"Did Abigail get into a fight or something?" Amber asked.</p><p>"No, um... can we talk away from the monster?" Lucas whispered.</p><p>Unfortunately for him, Undyne heard what he said. "The monster?" Undyne asked, crossing her arms.</p><p>"U-Um," Lucas said, stuttering under her gaze as he practically ducked behind Amber.</p><p>"What kind of racist crap is that?" Undyne asked, voice rising slightly.</p><p>"Uh oh," Amber said.</p><p>"Is there a problem?" Abigail asked, walking up to them.</p><p>Lucas took the opportunity to duck behind his wife, no doubt not interested in watching another situation unfold. Amber looked between the two females, realizing what was about to happen. Abigail, a strong and firm woman, just witnessed a woman raise her voice at her husband. Undyne, a firm woman herself, was just called 'the monster'. Oh no.</p><p>Amber wasn't expecting a small fight, no. They weren't fighting over a guy, or gossip, this wasn't an average school fight like the one's she's seen. While those can get bloody, they were between untrained teenagers. Undyne looked pretty strong, and Amber knew Abigail worked out because she had to regularly defend her husband from the situations he's gotten himself into.</p><p>"And let's go talk about whatever you wanted to talk about!" Amber said, grabbing Lucas and dragging him away before anything went down.</p><p>They continued as a few people ran past, two of which being a tall skeleton and a goat monster, to calm the conflict.</p><p>"Okay, what's going on?" Amber asked.</p><p>"Sans' old uh, family is here," Lucas said, "As you could tell." He adjusted his glasses nervously. "But we have a bigger problem."</p><p>"A bigger problem compared to Abigail about to get into a fist fight with the fish girl?" Amber asked.</p><p>"Sans' picture is on the slideshow, and it has his name and clothes on it," Lucas said, "If they see it, the fight might get... kinda worse..."</p><p>"Yikes." Amber bit her bottom lip. "Do we know where the computer is?"</p><p>"No, but we have to delete the picture before the slideshow stars," Lucas said, "Oh boy, this isn't going good. Not at all."</p><p>"Here, I have an idea," Amber said, "Go through your cameras pictures and try to see if you can find any computers in that, I'm going to start looking around for any computers as well. Can you message Sans and Wilbert to do the same thing?"</p><p>"Sure, I- sure," Lucas said, "But I think I should go make sure Abigail doesn't start a fight, I don't want her to get injured at all."</p><p>"No, we gotta take advantage of the distraction," Amber said, "If the slideshow presents Sans wearing his old clothes and with his name being flashed on screen, things are going to do bad."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>"Is there anyway for us to get rid of the slideshow?" Sans asked Wilbert.</p><p>"No, we can't get rid of it. It's full of fashion reveals from other famous fashion designers," Wilbert said.</p><p>"Ugh. What's the point of having a famous status if I can't abuse my power!" Sans groaned, tilting his head.</p><p>"That's not how that works," Wilbert said.</p><p>"Not in the slightest," Mal agreed, looking back towards the bathroom exit. "I think you should stay in here, Sans. They might try to talk to you, and I think it'd be best if you let everyone else handle this one."</p><p>"I... yeah, okay," Sans sighed, leaning against the counter. "I don't think I'd be able to stop the slideshow anyway, I'd be stopped every five seconds by people who think I'm hot."</p><p>"Because you are hot and adorable," Wilbert said, kissing the top of Sans' forehead, "Now stay here, I'm sure we can find the slideshow and cut out your picture before it starts... in fifteen minutes."<br/><br/>"Good luck," Sans called out to Wilbert, crossing his arms as he sat alone in the bathroom after their departure.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Amber grumbled slightly to herself, flicking on a light in a nearby room. All she had to do was find the computer the slideshow was on, find the slide, delete Sans' picture, and somehow do all of that without knowing the computer or it's password. Easy peasy, right? If push comes to shove, Amber probably would just break the computer to delay the slideshow. They'd probably move it to later, and by then the monsters would have left, right?</p><p>Sans helped her get out of her parents house, she owed him this at the very least.</p><p>Aha! A computer.</p><p>Amber grinned at her small success, rushing up to it. She pulled it open, looking around the room to let out a groan of defeat.</p><p>There wasn't just one computer in this room. No, that'd be too easy. There were several.</p><p>Darn it.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Undyne fixed her ponytail, pushing open the door in front of her as she walked. At least they didn't break out into a fight, but Undyne didn't tolerate when people called her just a 'monster'. Especially when one of her friends suffered a terrible fate for that fact.</p><p>She leaned against the sink, moving to fix her hair a little better. The Police had done an investigation to Sans' killer, and when they questioned the man, they had discovered that he wouldn't have went to kill the witness if Sans hadn't been a monster. He died just because he looked different, because the man thought Sans was going to suddenly turn around and use his magic.</p><p>The woman next to Undyne froze, averting her gaze. Were all of the humans here racist? At least they made the flight out here to deal with this, and maybe give Papyrus the closure he needed.</p><p>But man, if Undyne wasn't madly in love with Alphys, she'd be into this girl.</p><p>With soft hair, a calm and collected face, and those soft blue eyes? She was adorable, and insanely hot. However, Undyne was taken, so she wouldn't focus on her any longer. Not that the girl didn't give her the chance, as she scurried out of the bathroom quickly. Whatever.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>"Uh, Sans, we have a problem," Amber said, stopping him in the middle of a hallway.</p><p>"What is it?" Sans asked, looking around. "And why is it so emp... the slideshow started, didn't it?" Sans asked.</p><p>Amber nodded.</p><p>"And you guys couldn't get the picture off of it, could you?" Sans asked.</p><p>Amber nodded again.</p><p><br/>"Welp, time to do an old strategy called jump into the f*cking limo and drive," Sans said, starting to walk again, "I'll text Wilbert, we're all getting out of here."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>People settled down in their respective chairs, soft murmuring gathering at the slideshow started. Abigail crossed her legs and shot Undyne a glare, of which the fish monster returned it.</p><p>Papyrus bounced his leg in the chair next to Undyne, barely paying attention to the slideshow. No doubt he was more focused on finding out whoever hacked into his brothers account, so desperate for a little closure, and a little more connection to Sans, as if he was getting him justice. She wished she could help more, but Undyne wasn't able to do much.</p><p>"The next one is Wilbert's, but he's since left due to personal errands," The presenter said.</p><p>Some groans echoed across the room, making Undyne look around. This guy must've been pretty famous, then, if everyone wanted to talk to him.</p><p>"I know, but his design is still here," The presenter said, "His model left as well, but she really captured the natural beauty of his clothes. Wilbert has since called this the Sans look. Simple, fashion forward, but importantly, affordable for everyone."</p><p>Did he say-</p><p>The image flashed across the screen in front of Undyne and Papyrus just as the sound of an escaping limo drove away from the building. </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Chapter 37 - Confessions and Connections</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The ride home was uncomfortably silent, as was their entrance to the empty home. Wilbert made sure to set the alarms, but Sans wasn't really sure if that'd do much. If Undyne really wanted something, she'd be willing to burn down her own house.</p><p>"I'm sorry."</p><p>Wilbert gave Sans a bottle of ketchup, sitting down next to him with an arm wrapped around his shoulders. Sans leaned against his boyfriend with a sigh.</p><p>"I'll... I'll text Abigail to come here so you can tell her about the situation," Lucas mumbled, escaping away with his phone.</p><p>"No, guys, it's fine," Sans said, "I probably wouldn't have been able to stop it either. No one expected them to be there." Sans looked at Wilbert. "Why don't we just put on Wall-E? I think Wall-E sounds a little nice to watch right now."</p><p>"That works," Amber said, sitting down at her own spot.</p><p>"What are you planning on doing now that they know?" Mal asked, "You need a plan."</p><p>"I dunno... maybe we can fly somewhere? Go visit your parents again?" Sans asked Wilbert.</p><p>Wilbert shook his head. "No, my pilot is busy for the next two weeks. We can't go anywhere."</p><p>Sammy sighed. "Great."</p><p>"We can drive out of Paris, right?" Amber asked, "We can go on another road trip."</p><p>"And just abandon Wilbert's fashion career?" Sans asked, "I'm not doing that, he makes a living off of this stuff. He needs to be able to get good materials." He blew a piece of hair out of his face. "I'm not even sure what I wanna do about them. I could just come out and tell them, get it over with. They've probably figured it out by now."</p><p>"I think it's always better to say the truth," Mal said, "It helps avoid confusion later. Like right now."</p><p>"I... f*ck it."</p><p>Sans stood up, walking towards the office where Wilbert's computer was.</p><p>"Wait what?" Amber asked, "What are you doing?"</p><p>"I'm going to tell Papyrus, I might as well get this over with," Sans said, shaking his head. "He's going to find out either way, it might as well come from my mouth. And maybe I could get some closure on the 'throwing away my dust' thing."</p><p>"That's actually a good idea," Amber said, "Good luck."</p><p>"I'll need it," Sans sighed.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>'<em>So you saw the picture at the fashion event, didn't you? - Sans</em>'</p><p>He sighed, rolling a knot of white hair over his shoulder as Papyrus' icon lit green besides his. Before, Sans would have never been able to do this, to confront his past. But here he was, willingly making the first contact with Papyrus.</p><p>'<em>I did. - Papyrus</em>'</p><p>Yup. Of course he did. Sans leaned against his hand, clicking away on the screen to pull up some pictures of his fashion career on the side. How should he go about this?</p><p>There was no beating around the bush. He might as well get the cat out of the bag and face the problem.</p><p>'<em>Why'd you throw away my dust? - Sans</em>'</p><p>'<em>What? - Papyrus</em>'</p><p>'<em>I came home after I got out of the hospital. I was going to tell you I was alive, that I survived, but you threw away my dust. It was by the trash can. Also, side note, Grillby is a creepy guy towards girls. - Sans</em>'</p><p>'<em>I didn't throw away your dust - Papyrus</em>'</p><p>'<em>I'm sorry, that was annoying dog. I found the jar broken, was that you who broke it? - Papyrus</em>'</p><p>'<em>Is this really... really Sans? - Papyrus</em>'</p><p>'<em>Sans the skeleton, yeah. Except for I'm not exactly a skeleton anymore. It's a long story... but are you serious about the dust? - Sans</em>'</p><p>'<em>Annoying Dog moved your dust multiple times - Papyrus</em>'</p><p>Sans' fingers hovered over the keys, unable to send a message due to his surprise.</p><p>This whole time, it was Annoying Dog? Annoying Dog was the reason why he never talked to Papyrus?</p><p>Did his brother...</p><p>He cared. This whole, entire time, he cared! Papyrus always did care, just like Sans thought! It was just a dog!</p><p>Sans started laughing from his utter relief, pressing a hand against his mouth. They could have avoided all of this! All of those countless nights, where we wondered why Papyrus hated him so much, were wasted! He could have-</p><p>Then Sans looked back, seeing Wilbert walk past the open door. He shuffled inside, giving Sans a kiss on his forehead.</p><p>"Good luck," Wilbert said, "I'm setting up the movie right now, do you want popcorn or cookies?"</p><p>"Both," Sans whispered.</p><p>If the dog never did that, then Sans would have never met Wilbert. Never found his dream career he loved. Never met any of his friends.</p><p>And he cared about them. Just as much as he did for his bro.</p><p>'<em>Is it really you, Sans? - Papyrus</em>'</p><p>Sans sighed. He couldn't avoid his past, but he didn't want to lose what he had now.</p><p>'<em>It is - Sans</em>'</p><p>'<em>Let's meet up - Sans</em>'</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>The thick sunlight beat down against the front gates as they peeled open, letting a car softly pull into the expensive driveway. Sans wasn't sure if he wanted to jump up to the door to greet them or not as they parked, his leg bouncing anxiously as he looked out the window.</p><p>"This is going to be... very awkward," Mal said.</p><p>"It is," Sans sighed. "I think once we get over it, everything will go fine, but I want them to like my friends as well. Do you think everyone will get along?"</p><p>"I think they will," Mal said, "I know everyone, and we get along great. I'm sure they'll like them."</p><p>Meanwhile, the front door was being opened by someone else when they knocked.</p><p>Papyrus fidgeted nervously in his spot, looking both eager and rather anxious about this meeting. Frisk stood next to Toriel, bouncing on their heels as they tried to peak into the windows on the ground floor. Undyne stood in front, tapping her fingers against her folded arms. Alphys stood by awkwardly, looking at anywhere but the house.</p><p>"Well, well, well," Abigail said, opening the front door and leaning against the frame. "Isn't it the monster who decided to yell at my husband. What a predicament."</p><p>"You." Undyne narrowed her yellow eyes at her. "Protector of racist, pathetic people."</p><p>"I'm sure you take everything as an insult with how little control you have." Abigail crossed her own arms. "No wonder Sans thought you threw away his dust, judging by the types of friends he <em>used </em>to have."</p><p>"Abigail, what are you doing?" Sans' voice sounded from inside.</p><p>"Sans, you forgot to put on a bra," Abigail said, turning towards someone out of view from the people outside.</p><p>"... Oh sh*t."</p><p>Footsteps sounded away as Abigail turned back towards them. "While Sans gets changed I'll let you guys in, since I'm his current friend and I want him to be happy." However, Abigail narrowed her eyes at Undyne, "If she apologizes."</p><p>"I-" Undyne looked back at Papyrus and gritted her teeth, realizing she had to suck up her own anger for the sake of her best friends happiness. "Fine, I'm really sorry. Can you let us in?"</p><p>"Fine, but I still don't like you."</p><p>They were inside shortly after, pulling of their shoes and setting them by the door. Wilbert quickly moved to greet them, eagerly shaking their hands.</p><p>"And who are you?" Toriel asked as he shook her hand.</p><p>"I'm Wilbert Palakiko, I'm Sans' employer and fashion designer!" Wilbert said, "And his boyfriend."</p><p>"Boyfriend?" Papyrus asked.</p><p>Wilbert nodded eagerly. "Mhm! Boyfriend!" He hugged his arms together. "It's great to meet you guys! Sans didn't talk about you much so I'm not sure how you guys are, but that means we can bond!"</p><p>Only then did Wilbert realize what he implied, his brown eyes widening. "Wait, no, I didn't mean it like that! Sans didn't tell me he was a skeleton until just a bit ago, and so he didn't talk about you guys at all and when he did he said he didn't like- I'm saying lots of words now." Wilbert sucked in a breath, "Um-"</p><p>"Hey, Wilbert," Amber said, sticking her head into the room. "Sans t*ts kinda broke the bra so I had to grab one out of the load of laundry, I hope you don't mind."</p><p>Wilbert made an awkward noise between a sigh and a squeak, covering his mouth as he motioned towards the monsters. Amber looked over, blinking a few times.</p><p>"Oh, yikes," Amber chuckled, "I'ma... I'ma go grab Sans' clothes now, bye."</p><p>Just like that, she was gone.</p><p>"Um... um..." Wilbert said, looking around. "Oh, there's Sammy! Another one of Sans' new friends! Say hi Sammy!"</p><p>Wilbert quickly pulled the blonde into the room, Startled, she gripped at the pile of things in her arms, a very obvious ritual knife sticking out.</p><p>"I was about to start a ritual to make them see dead people," Sammy said, "Oh, Ms. Goat ma'am, what's your blood type?"</p><p>"I- Excuse me?" Toriel took a step back from the woman.</p><p>"Oh boy," Wilbert whispered. </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0041"><h2>41. Chapter 38 - Misunderstandings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This was awkward. More awkward then Sans would have guessed.</p><p>He sat, cross legged, with ketchup in hand as he tried to sum up what happened. Maybe he should have met them on his own.</p><p>It was much like the feeling of introducing one friend to another, both of which were mutually friends towards the one, but neither understanding the new addition to their party. Sans' old friends didn't know these people, and were easily off put by them. Sans' new friends didn't know his old ones, and did not trust them. That was easy to tell.</p><p>"And after I managed to break Amber out of her house, we met Sammy... and then Wilbert decided to make me his model..." Sans tapped his fingers, eyes drawing around as he tried to recall all of the experiences he's shared with them. "So we flew out here... and yeah, that's the summed up story, really."</p><p>"Oh, okay," Papyrus said, looking just as awkward as Sans did.</p><p>There had been a hug, earlier, but it was unusual. Papyrus had grown and changed, much like Sans did, and they weren't sure how to suddenly reconnect. Sans just learned Papyrus didn't hate him, and Papyrus just learned he was alive. They had to get used to the changes of each other.</p><p>"Well, we know Sans is alive, so let's go!" Undyne said, standing up and flicking the keys into her hand. "We can all head to the airport, fly back home, and resume our lives!"</p><p>"What?" Amber asked, jerking a head towards Sans. "You're leaving?"</p><p>"Wait, no, guys, I don't think we should go rushing away back home or making any decisions," Sans said, holding out his arms. "I'm not just going to up and leave."</p><p>"How come? We found you, you're alive, let's go home!" Undyne said, gesturing towards the car.</p><p>"I assume Sans is saying he's made friends here, and I don't think he wants to up and leave them so suddenly," Toriel said.</p><p>"I just like talking to him," Papyrus said, pawing at his pants lightly. "I... I'm really happy you're here."</p><p>"I'm just glad me and Mal are alive, that's pretty chill." Sans shot finger guns at the monsters.</p><p>"Mal and I," Mal corrected.</p><p>"Don't care. I'm a fashion model, not an english major."</p><p>"How exactly, if I may ask," Toriel said, "Did you become a model?"</p><p>"It just sorta happened, I guess," Sans said.</p><p>"Because he's adorable, look at his face!" Wilbert squished Sans' cheeks. "Everyone loves him!"</p><p>"There is more to beauty than just looks, isn't there?" Toriel asked.</p><p>"That's not what he means," Sans said.</p><p>"He's just reducing you down to your looks because you're hot, Sans!" Undyne said, gesturing towards him.</p><p>"He is a fashion designer, it's kind of his job," Abigail said.</p><p>Amber continued to eat her pile of cookies on her spot, large chunks falling onto the napkin on her lap. Toriel looked over, but didn't say anything, looking rather uncomfortable with the mess she was leaving. Amber, who noticed as well, held out a cookie. "You want in?"</p><p>"No thank you," Toriel said lightly.</p><p>"Oh, bite me," Undyne growled, folding her arms.</p><p>"You'd probably be into that kinda stuff," Abigail said, rolling her eyes.</p><p>Lucas nervously and quietly pushed up his own glasses. "Um..."</p><p>"No, no, it's cute when you're into it," Abigail said lightly, running a hand through his hair.</p><p>"Oh my," Toriel said.</p><p>"At least Alphys wouldn't be racist if I did do that!" Undyne said.</p><p>Amber threw up her arms. "For the last time fish lady, he wasn't being racist!"</p><p>Alphys curled her own tail, hiding her face behind her claws. Her girlfriend growled, but didn't say anything, instead sitting back down.</p><p>"Okay, guys, c'mon, let's be more happy!" Wilbert said, naturally trying to bring everyone together. "Why don't we talk about Sans' life nowadays? He got over a million followers on twitter for his first debut, and he looks absolutely gorgeous in some of his outfits!"</p><p>"Wilbert does make really good dresses," Sans said, "And Amber's a fashion designer, too."</p><p>"I take inspiration from 'ally' like designers, I'm not big for giant, poofy dresses or anything too fancy like Wilbert is," Amber said, "I like there to be more personality for my work."</p><p>"And... miss Sammy, what is it that you do?" Toriel asked, turning to look behind the couch.</p><p>Behind the couch Sammy was crouched, starting up the ritual for them to be able to see Mal. She paused like a dear in headlights, slowly continuing to light a candle. "... Rituals."</p><p>"She's our driver," Amber explained, "For events and stuff."</p><p>"Oh my Toby Fox," Alphys grumbled, further retreating into her hands. "What is she d-doing?"</p><p>"I'm going to help you guys see dead people," Sammy said casually.</p><p>"She means that in like, a good way," Sans said, trying to piece together this situation much like his boyfriend was.</p><p>"How is there any good way for... t-that?" Alphys asked, hugging her arms together. "Is she going to sacrifice us?"</p><p>"No, you don't use sacrifices for this ritual," Sammy said.</p><p>Alphys made a sound, curling onto herself.</p><p>"It's just something Sammy like to-" Wilbert paused. "Okay, let's take a step back from everything. We're pushing this all a little too fast, let's slow down."</p><p>"How can we trust you?" Undyne asked, "You're Sans' boyfriend just because he looks hot."</p><p>"Wait, no, Undyne-" Sans said.</p><p>"This is why I don't trust guys like you." Undyne jabbed a finger in his direction as Amber continued to chew her food louder."</p><p>"Child, for the love of Toby Fox, chew with your mouth closed!" Toriel finally lost her patience, snapping at the teenager.</p><p>Amber stuck out her tongue as a response. "You aren't my Mom old lady!"</p><p>"Well clearly your Mother didn't parent you enough," Toriel said.</p><p>"Clearly she didn't, honestly she'd be better off dead then being my parent."</p><p>"What kind of child wants their Mother deceased?"</p><p>"The ritual is done, yay!" Sammy said, pressing her arms together.</p><p>"What does that <em>mean</em>!" Alphys shrieked, claws digging into her face.</p><p>"Stop overreacting, jesus christ woman," Abigail said.</p><p>"Don't you dare talk to her that way!" Undyne growled, standing up.</p><p>"Wait-" Both Sans and Wilbert said.</p><p>"Oh, so when I defend my lover it's racist, but when you defend yours it's fine?" Abigail asked, "Is Sans the only decent monster out of you guys? What kind of demented, twisted friendship did he have with you?"</p><p>"That's it, we're going away from these racist f*cks!" Undyne practically snarled.</p><p>"What about Sans?" Papyrus asked.</p><p>"Come on, let's all calm down-"</p><p>"We'll take him with us, Papyrus!"</p><p>Undyne ignored Wilbert's pleas to connect the group and grabbed onto Sans rather harshly, likely from her boiling anger, ignorant to her sharp claws as she tried to pull him away from what she assumed to be a crazy set of humans.</p><p>"Undyne-"</p><p><em>Rip</em>.</p><p>The sound was deafening, his clothes that Wilbert had taken weeks carefully hand making torn by her sharp claws, causing a long tear to cascade down the side of his arm. That alone seemed to shut everyone up, staring at the damage of the hoodie Wilbert had been ever so excited to make Sans.</p><p>"Oh, sh*t," Undyne said, lightly letting go of Sans. "I didn't mean to... uh... sorry man."</p><p>"Wilbert?" Sans asked, distracted by his boyfriend to even process her words.</p><p>For the first time in his life, Sans didn't see Wilbert with a smile. He stood there, lips trying to stay up in his usual light attitude, but they were trembling. Much like his arms were. Tears started to gather in the corners of his soft brown eyes.</p><p>Wilbert was <em>crying</em>.</p><p>"I-" Wilbert cut himself off, turning his head before he hurried off out of the living room as the tears started to shed.</p><p>"Wilbert!" Sans yelled, running to chase after them.</p><p>Undyne stood there, arm outstretched, eyes wide as she tried to process what she accidentally did. Amber, taking charge, stood up from the couch, pointing a firm hand towards the door.</p><p>"Get," She hissed, "Out."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Sans found Wilbert inside of their shared bedroom, kneeling over the DVD case as he tried to place the disc for Wall-E into the slot. It wasn't going well, it seemed, as he was full on sobbing at this point, shaking hands trying to still enough to insert the disc. However, due to his shaking, he ended up jabbing the disc harshly against the box, causing it to break in half. The poor man stared at a moment at his now broken favorite movie before he only cried harder.</p><p>Sans fell down onto his knees behind Wilbert, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend to comfort him. Wilbert didn't move, instead continuing to sob for the first time in their relationship.</p><p>"I-" Wilbert sniffed, "I-I just wanted your friends to like m-m-me!"</p><p>"I know," Sans whispered, running a hand through his hair.</p><p>"You talked so f-fondly of them after you told me about who you w-w-were and it s-sounded so nice, I wanted to be a part of your life and... and..."</p><p>"I know."</p><p>"I spent so much t-time making your hoodie to make you happy and now it's ruined and-"</p><p>"Hey, hey," Sans said, gently leaning his chin onto his boyfriends shoulder. "It's okay. I still like it, and you can still fix it, can't you? Undyne just let her grip slip, she's always had sharp nails and teeth, she didn't mean to. And they don't hate you, if anything they're more scared of Sammy."</p><p>Wilbert sniffed quietly, rubbing his eyes. "That isn't good either."<br/><br/>"Eh, she terrified me when I first met her," Sans said, brushing some hair out of Wilbert's face. "She's not great at first introductions, it seems like. And just so you know... if I had to choose, Wilbert, I'd choose you and everyone else over them. You mean a lot to me, and if it ever comes down to it, I'm staying here."</p><p>"But you shouldn't have to choose, that isn't fair to you," Wilbert said, wiping away some of his tears. "I'm never going to make you choose. I want you to be happy."</p><p>"And I'm happy with you." Sans pressed his lips against Wilbert's head. "Right here. I like my life, and I like being a model for my amazing boyfriend. If they want me to go back, I'm not going to. I'm staying here."</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>"You don't do well in communicating your emotions, do you?"</p><p>Undyne closed her eyes, raking her claws down her scales in utter annoyance. Toby Fox, she just messed everything up, didn't she? Now Sans was no doubt mad at them, and would never talk to Papyrus, who had been mourning this entire time and now-</p><p>Now there was someone she didn't know talking to her.</p><p>Undyne looked up, confused, to find someone hovering in front of their silent group. A woman, around their age, wearing a business attire and a done look on her face. She was see through, so...</p><p>She was a ghost.</p><p>"Oh, oh..." Toriel said, quietly.</p><p>"I'm Mal, the person who owns the body Sans is inhabiting," Mal stuck out her hand. "And the person who Sammy was trying to help you guys be able to see. That's why she was talking about dead people, she was talking about myself."</p><p>"Ah crap," Undyne said, pinching her nose. "She- I'm so f*cking stupid."</p><p>"I think you guys all just assumed things about the other group, much like they did," Mal said, turning to look at the house. "Why don't you all be quiet and look at the logic of this. Undyne, Lucas said he didn't want to talk near the monster, right?"</p><p>"I... yeah," Undyne said.</p><p>"Lucas wasn't being racist, he's much like Alphys in the way that he's more quiet and reserved, and a bit awkward. He doesn't want to accidentally create any situations, but Sans told him not to talk to any monsters." Mal looked back. "He wasn't trying to be racist towards you, but you didn't know that, so you are justified in feeling offended when he generalized you as a monster. However, as Lucas' wife, Abigail saw you yelling at her husband, and she had ever right to be just as mad as you were." With a tilt of her head, Mal folded her hands together. "Miscommunication is what drove you both into these arguments. You believe Abigail and Lucas to be racist, Abigail and Lucas believe you to be violent and irrational."</p><p>"So i just insulted her over nothing?" Undyne asked.</p><p>"No, you had a logical idea as to who she was, didn't you?" Mal asked, "You insulted her because you are proud of who you are and you thought she was racist towards you. That's only fair. You were misinformed, that's all. Just like Sans and I were about you guys, because we assumed you threw away his dust. We were justified in leaving as well, but we were misinformed as you were." She rested her head onto her hand. "Let's see who else... Sammy. She's my girlfriend, and she doesn't do rituals that result in harm. Her rituals entitle seeing spirits, or dealing with viewing or interacting with the afterlife. She never intends to hurt anyone, but she likes the excitement that comes with it. Sammy is a bit... on the nose, per say, whenever she's distracted by rituals. Sans himself was scared of her when they first met, too."</p><p>"He was?" Alphys asked.</p><p>Mal snorted. "Oh, of course. He said he wanted to break out of a window and run away. He thought she was going to kill him. She only asked about your blood type because she needs only a drop for certain rituals. I helped her when she was younger, and she only ever pricked my arm. Sammy would never try to kill someone for her rituals, she's only interested in darker material. That doesn't mean she has any ill intentions."</p><p>"Whew," Alphys sighed with relief.</p><p>"Let's see what other mistakes you all made with communication..." Mal tapped the side of her mouth. "Wilbert doesn't care about looks. He likes fashion because he likes to represent someone's soul with clothes. He makes clothes to represent people, not to make them hotter. As does Amber. Fashion isn't just about creating clothes, it's a passion of bringing materials together and creating a unique look to bring both the inner and outer beauty out. Wilbert isn't attracted to woman, either. It was this whole event where Sans asked out Wilbert, and Wilbert originally turned him down because Wilbert is gay, not to mention asexual. He finds people pretty, but by their souls, and who they are. His intention towards Sans was never to date him just because he's hot, and Sans knows to be careful with his looks. When we went back, you know, Grillby had Sans running out of his bar."</p><p>"Wait, really? Sans came back to Grillby's?" Papyrus asked.</p><p>"Yup. I was kinda mad at you for throwing away his dust, since Sans is a pretty nice guy, but really, who I'm super mad at right now is Toriel."</p><p>"Me?" Toriel pointed towards herself.</p><p>"The way you treated Amber really isn't cool," Mal said, "She's my younger sister, that's how Sans met her. And let's say we haven't really had a good experience with our parents?"</p><p>"How so?" Toriel asked, "What would warrant wanting a parent dead?"</p><p>Mal looked at her, a deadpanned expression on her face. "My Mom never believed I was gay and said it was wrong. She married my rich Dad just for more money. She used to go through our rooms to try and take any change we had. When I told her my best friend was injured, she laughed and said it was a long time coming. How about when Sans met her, pretending to be me, she ended up throwing a vase at him and almost killed him. This was from a church, by the way. Do you want me to keep going?"</p><p>"No... I'm sorry, I may had been getting ahead of myself," Toriel said.</p><p>"You may be a great Mother," Mal offered a soft smile at her. "But face it, not all parents are. We never had a good Mom or a good Dad, they're both theifs and manipulators. That's why Amber and I despise them, they've done nothing but take advantage of us. They tried to use Amber just to get money from Sans, and they'd do it again in a heartbeat. And for her eating habit... I've come to believe it's due to our parents. When you had so little control over your life, you had to take control in the little things. Like eating messy because you can, or talking back because she couldn't fight back. It's something Amber does, and you have to accept she's a messy eater. That doesn't mean she's not a good person, but it does mean she wears placemats and puts bowls onto her lap. She adjusts to it, she doesn't leave messes in other locations anymore."</p><p>"So we all just went and f*cked up, didn't we?" Undyne asked.</p><p>"You did."</p><p>"I guess... when we find Sans, and he looks different, and he's with different people, I was worried he was being taken advantage of," Undyne said, rubbing her neck awkwardly.</p><p>"Sans has grown a lot since you last talked, just like you guys. He's in control of his life, and he's living for himself. He found happiness, but I'm sure he'd like his life a little better if you all were in it." Mal looked around the group of monsters and the human child. "If you guys keep getting so stuck on your past about who Sans was, you won't see who he is now, and you won't be able to appreciate it."</p><p>"I... thank you, for this," Papyrus said, "It means a lot to be able to reconnect with my brother."</p><p>"I'm just being honest."</p>
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<a name="section0042"><h2>42. Chapter 39 - A Reformed Body</h2></a>
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    <p>Mal really was helpful, as she managed to straighten out the confusion between the two groups. After they got the miscommunications aside, they were able to properly talk and apologize. In fact, now that they got over the miscommunications, they were all better off.</p><p>"No way, you roundhouse kicked him?" Undyne snorted, "That sounds awesome!"</p><p>"He was a perv, of course I did! That's how I made my precious Lucas fall in love with me," Abigail said, leaning over to plant a smooch on her husband who was a blushing mess.</p><p>"What kind of training workout do you do? I do pushups after I smash boulders, keeps me running," Undyne cracked her knuckles, "Wanna do a workout competition?"</p><p>"That sounds fun," Abigail said, "I'm just going to go check on Bayla real quick."</p><p>"Nah, you don't need to, Toriel is real good with kids." Undyne slung an arm over her shoulder. "And Bayla's playing with Frisk, they're doing fine."</p><p>Unexpectedly, once Abigail and Undyne found out that they both had wrong opinions on the other, they became good friends. They were both strong willed and set people who enjoyed working out, so it made sense. And Abigail had explained to Undyne, as an ex model, what being a model was really about, and that it wasn't entirely what she thought.</p><p>Papyrus was extremely happy Sans was alive and willing to talk to him, so they spent a lot of time getting into more details about their lives. There was a lot of hugs once Sans told Papyrus he was okay with it. After believing his brother was dead and discovering he was alive, Papyrus was understandably clingy.</p><p>"And then that was when I had teleported out of the elevator, so I almost died again," Sans said, patting his brothers head.</p><p>Sans had been set onto his brothers lap as Papyrus hugged him, no doubt happy just to see his brother again. Now that all of the awkwardness of the original situation had been set aside, everyone was managing to get along.</p><p>"So the school broke?" Toriel asked.</p><p>"Right onto my face." Sammy carved the outer lining of her long scar. "I love the way it looks, it's awesome. I don't mind talking about it at all."</p><p>"I'm so sorry you thought I threw away your dust," Papyrus said, hugging Sans tighter. "But now you're here and we can- Well, we can talk again! I'm sure we can figure something out, Nyeh."</p><p>"... Actually."</p><p>Sammy gathered everyone attention, the blonde haired girl perking up. "We kind of can... well, I've been looking for rituals for Mal, and I found one that could possibly... unconnect you two."</p><p>"Wait, what?"</p><p>Everyone in the room was now at full attention, staring at the female with confusion.</p><p>"I'm not sure how I'd entirely do it, but I found something." Sammy pulled out her phone. "It's this one ritual about souls, it can break you two apart, and I think it'd give Mal back her body and give Sans back his, since he has enough magic."</p><p>"Are you serious? We can- I can-" Mal said, "What's the ritual?"</p><p>"I'm not sure if I can do it, though," Sammy said, pulling up a website. "It talks about some science stuff and I don't know what it means."</p><p>"Here, le-let me see," Alphys said.</p><p>She crouched down next to the human, looking over.</p><p>"Oh, that's a-a determination stabilizer generator, o-or that's what we'd need," Alphys said, "I-I have one of those at my lab. And if we were to combine it with-"</p><p>"With my spiritual power we'd be able to recreate Sans' body and transfer their souls!" Sammy finished.</p><p>The two girls high fived.</p><p>"You mean Mal can actually be real again, and I can be a skeleton again?" Sans asked.</p><p>"I have so many clothes ideas for that guys you have no idea!" Wilbert hissed out.</p><p>"Wait, Sans, Mal, are you guys sure?" Abigail asked.</p><p>"Yes." They both said firmly.</p><p>"I'm done with these suckers," Sans said, pointing to his chest. "I want out."</p><p>"And I want to be able to have a job again, that'd be nice," Mal said.</p><p>"Actually, if we're switching up bodies," Amber said, raising her hand, "Can I become a skeleton too? I don't want mine either."</p><p>"N-No, we can't create bodies that haven't e-existed," Alphys said, running some calculations through her head.</p><p>"Darn." Amber snapped her fingers.</p><p>"What about your fashion career, though?" Toriel asked, "It might be odd if you become a skeleton."</p><p>"Are you kidding me? The internet loves stories like these, it'd be a big reveal," Abigail said, "If anything this would make him more popular."</p><p>"Is there anyone here who actually objects?" Sans asked.</p><p>"If so, overruled," Mal said, "I want to be real again, and darn it, I want to be able to drink grape soda."</p><p>"I'm calling my pilot right now," Wilbert said.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Did he learn any lessons?</p><p>Sans lay on the table, arms folded underneath his head as he stared up at the white ceiling. He would say so, yes. This whole situation had been rather bizarre, admittedly, but it was a fun adventure. There were definitely ups and downs, but the ups won in the end.</p><p>Sans took a glance over, watching Papyrus and Wilbert talk. Yeah, definitely ups. He liked how everything turned out. He had a best friend, his brother back, his old friends, and new friends. He had a boyfriend, a career he loved, and a future. Everything was good. What a ride it took to get there, though. Wild indeed.</p><p>"Are you ready?" Mal asked, laying down next to Sans.</p><p>"I was ready the moment I got my first period, Mal," Sans said.</p><p>"I'm going to drink so much grape soda, you have no idea," Mal chuckled.</p><p>"And spend time with Sammy?" Sans asked.</p><p>"Spend time with everyone." Mal ran a hand through her hair. "And... you know, I think I'd like to be your manager of sorts."</p><p>"You're going to have to deal with so many Karens."</p><p>Mal leaned up onto her elbows. "No, I mean it. Like, manage you and Wilbert. Wilbert forgets dates and isn't good at organizing, but I am. I could schedule releases and dates, meetings, and stuff like that. Manage Wilbert and his fashion stuff so you can focus on being a model and he can focus on just making things."</p><p>"Oh, crap, that's a good idea," Sans said, "I think you should do that."</p><p>"Good, cool," Mal said, "And... you were really cool during all of this. Thanks for being my friend."</p><p>"No problem, thanks for being my friend as well."</p><p>Yeah, Sans liked how things turned out.</p><p>To think this all started with a stabbing, huh?</p><p>"O-Okay, we're ready!" Alphys stuttered.</p><p>"Here we go!" Sammy said.</p><p>Mal clasped onto Sans' hand, the two grinning towards each other. With one last squeeze, Mal turned towards the ceiling.</p><p>And Alphys pulled down the lever.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, do you have everything you need?"</p><p>Papyrus gently pulled down at Sans' dress, the two standing behind the a thick doorway. The shorter skeleton grinned, adjusting his own dress.</p><p>"Heck yeah, bro, no doubt about it," Sans said, "I got the dress, and I got me. The whole combination."</p><p>Thick white ruffles hung from Sans, the outfit Amber had carefully crafted wrapped around Sans. A ring, handmade from Wilbert, shone on Sans' finger. Warm, Hawaiian sunlight gently filtered in through the church windows, cascading across the two skeletons.</p><p>"I think you're ready," Papyrus said, smiling gently.</p><p>"Sure thing." Sans held out his arm, letting Papyrus wrap his own around it. "Walk me down the aisle, bro."</p><p>Papyrus nodded, moving to go open the doors, but paused. "Wait, I think we're going to need to carry tissues in case Wilbert cries again."</p><p>"Good idea," Sans said, reaching over to a table to grab tissues. "Okay, now I'm ready to get married."</p><p>They were right, in the end.</p><p>Wilbert cried a lot of happy tears on his wedding.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0043"><h2>43. Thank You!</h2></a>
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    <p>Holy crap, the book is finished! Yay! </p><p>Thank you all for following along, and thank you for enjoying! I'm so happy I got this out! Give a clap and half to yourselves! Yay!!!!!!</p><p>I've had the first chapter in my docs for at least a year, and I'm glad to finally see the full story up and out! That's awesome! Thank you for supporting me this entire journey! Also, thank you for the fanart everyone has given me, it's fantastic!</p><p>And I do understand it was rushed, when I was originally writing this I hit a bad time in my life during the second half while rushing out chapters daily for Wattpad, and that also carried through with my JanexSans zombie story that's going to be uploaded next on AO3. If I do get around to rewriting a story, this story is the first contender for a full on rewrite. Either way, thanks for reading, have a good day!</p>
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